Turkish authorities raided the Istanbul offices of the leftist satirical magazine LeMan on June 30 after the publication of a cartoon by Doğan Pehlevan, which they claimed pictured Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and arrested four of its staff, including the cartoonist.
Pehlevan was arrested along with news editor Zafer Aknar, graphic designer Cebrail Okçu, and institutional manager Ali Yavuz, who were taken into custody from the LeMan office and their residences in Istanbul. On July 2, a court ordered them detained pending trial on suspicion of “publicly demeaning religious values.” Pehlevan’s arrest was also based on suspicion of “insulting the president,” reports said.
Tuncay Akgün, editor-in-chief and publisher, and news editor Aslan Özdemir were also wanted by the authorities but both men were abroad at the time.
Akgün said: “The cartoon has nothing to do with Prophet Muhammad. We would never take such a risk.” Özdemir returned to Turkey under his own will and was arrested by a court on July 11.
The LeMan staff were indicted in early September and all six defendants were charged with “provoking the people into hatred and animosity,” which can carry a prison sentence of up to four years and six months. There was a warrant out for Akgün’s arrest.
An Istanbul court released Pehlevan, Aknar, Okçu, Yavuz, and Özdemir pending trial on September 26 and set the date for the first hearing for November 14. However, Pehlevan remained under arrest due to the “insulting the president” charge — for which he appeared in another Istanbul court on November 18 and was released. In this separate case, the authorities accuse Pehlevan of having a social media account that he denies owning.
Pehlevan was released under judicial control and a foreign travel ban. The Istanbul court set the date for the next hearing of the “insult” trial for March 24, 2026. The “provocation” trial will continue on May 5, 2026.
CPJ’s emailed request for comment from the chief prosecutor’s office in Istanbul did not receive a reply.