Artists call for release of comedian Deniz Göktaş
Artists, theater groups, cultural institutions and professional organizations have issued a joint statement calling for the release of stand-up comedian Deniz Göktaş, who was jailed earlier this month over remarks his latest standup show.
“Humor is not a crime,” the statement said, describing Göktaş’s detention and arrest as part of broader pressure on artistic and political expression.
The text was signed by 16 organizations along with prominent artists including Bülent Ortaçgil, Nur Sürer, Vedat Sakman, Taner Öngür and Ayşe Tütüncü.
Göktaş released his show which he has been performing for about three years, on YouTube in late June. The roughly 90-minute show received millions of views within days, with clips from the performance going viral on social media.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office later opened an investigation into Göktaş on charges of “insulting the president” and “publicly denigrating religious values embraced by a section of society.”
Göktaş returned to Turkey from abroad after learning of the investigation. Police detained him at İstanbul Airport on Jul 2, and a judge ordered his arrest the following day.
Comedian Deniz Göktaş detained after new show goes viral
He is currently held at the Çorlu Karatepe High-Security Prison in Tekirdağ, northwestern Turkey. This is one of the prisons described as “well-type” by rights advocacy groups and widely criticized for their isolating conditions.
Deniz Göktaş formally arrested after explaining controversial standup jokes during interrogation
The joint statement said the detention and arrest orders violated constitutional protections for freedom of expression and artistic freedom:
“These decisions against Deniz Göktaş are entirely unlawful. They directly contradict the constitutional right to freedom of expression and the principle of artistic freedom. Humor is not a crime.
"We now know how the pressure imposed on us by one-man rule tramples the rule of law in order to intimidate the public. At a time when art and artists are being forced into political silence and stripped of their voice, Deniz has done what no one has managed to do for a long time. But this is not the time to simply sit back and say, ‘What great courage.’ The door Deniz has opened is not the beginning of a heroic tale, but an invitation to stand shoulder to shoulder in our just and legitimate struggle.
"As it builds its own fascism, the government believes it can force us into submission by imprisoning Deniz and many of our friends. The only response to those who seek to intimidate us through detentions and bans must be to strengthen our struggle.”
Organizers said the statement remained open for signatures through Google Forms, but only for artists and cultural workers. (EMK/VK)