Turkish stand-up comedian Deniz Goktas was detained upon his return to Turkey at Istanbul International Airport on Thursday, days after a video he posted online gained widespread traction. The clip, shared on June 30, included references to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Islam.

The roughly 3-minute video on X garnered over 6 million views in under 72 hours, while his full 90-minute set on YouTube had more than 8.5 million views. Goktas captioned the clip: "My favorite joke, for some reason, hasn't been shared much."

Istanbul's chief public prosecutor's office said it received 185 public complaints about the video and launched an investigation under Article 216(3) of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalizes "publicly insulting religious values adopted by a segment of the public." The offense carries a jail term of six months to one year.

Prosecutors stated Goktas was apprehended at the airport and procedures are underway to transfer him to the custody of the Istanbul Security Branch Directorate. He is not formally under arrest but is in detention pending investigation.

Politicians from Erdogan's AK Party and the opposition CHP clashed in parliament over the video, pitting protection of "sacred values" against freedom of expression. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has criticized Turkey's prosecution of insulting religious values as contravening human rights commitments. Among European countries, only Russia more frequently uses laws criminalizing criticism of religion.

Source: www.dw.com