Erdogan says cartoon depicting prophets is ‘vile provocation'
The cartoonist, Dogan Pehlevan, had sought to highlight 'the suffering of a Muslim man killed in Israeli attacks', it said, adding there was no intent to insult Islam or its prophet.
The magazine urged authorities to counter what it called a smear campaign, and to protect freedom of expression.
Several civil society groups condemned the detentions as a violation of freedom of thought and expression.
Türkiye's freedom of expression ranking is low due to restrictions on media and public discourse. Reporters Without Borders ranked it 158th out of 180 countries in its 2024 Press Freedom Index.
More than 200 people rallied against Leman in central Istanbul on Tuesday, despite a ban on gatherings and a heavy police presence.
One protester, public servant Muhammed Emin Necipsoy, said the magazine's defence seemed insincere. 'There is a subtle emphasis there on the prophet Mohammad and the prophet Moses,' he said.
Late on Monday, interior minister Ali Yerlikaya shared a video on X showing police officers detaining Pehlevan with his hands cuffed behind his back as he was dragged up a stairwell. He also shared videos of three other men being removed from their homes and dragged into vans, one of them barefoot.
'The individual who drew this vile image, DP, has been apprehended and taken into custody. These shameless people will be held accountable before the law,' Yerlikaya wrote.
The government said an inquiry was launched under a penal code article that criminalises incitement to hatred and enmity.
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