Turkish Court Delays Opposition Case That Has Markets on Edge
A Turkish court adjourned a case on the main opposition party's leadership, providing short-term relief for markets concerned about rising political uncertainty.
The next hearing in the case, which centers on allegations of irregularities in the 2023 convention that elected Ozgur Ozel as chairman of the Republican People's Party, or CHP, will be held on September 8.
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Turkish police detain cartoonist over Prophet Muhammad caricature, sparking protests
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ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish authorities on Monday detained three cartoonists over a satirical drawing published by weekly magazine Leman that seemed to depict Prophets Moses and Muhammad shaking hands in the sky, while missiles flew below in a scene resembling war. The cartoon, widely seen as a commentary on religious harmony in contrast to conflict on Earth, drew strong condemnation from government officials and religious conservatives. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya shared a video on X showing police officers detaining cartoonist Dogan Pehlevan and dragging him up the stairs of a building with his hands cuffed behind his back. "I once again curse those who try to sow discord by drawing caricatures of our Prophet Muhammad," Yerlikaya wrote. "The individual who drew this vile image, D.P., has been apprehended and taken into custody. These shameless people will be held accountable before the law." Yerlikaya later posted two other videos, showing two other men being laid on the ground and forcibly taken from their homes, as policemen dragged them into vans - one of them walking barefoot. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said an investigation had been launched under Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalises incitement to hatred and enmity, and that detention orders had been issued for six people in total. In its statement on X, the Leman magazine apologised to readers who felt offended and said the cartoon had been misunderstood. It said Pehlevan had sought to highlight "the suffering of a Muslim man killed in Israeli attacks", and that there was no intent to insult Islam or its prophet. "The name Muhammad is among the most widely used in the world by Muslims honoring the Prophet. The cartoon does not depict the Prophet and was not drawn to mock religious values," the magazine said, calling some interpretations "deliberately malicious." Leman also urged judicial authorities to act against what it called a smear campaign, and asked security forces to protect freedom of expression. Earlier in the evening, video footage on social media showed a group of protesters marching to Leman's office building in central Istanbul, chanting slogans and kicking its entrance doors. Turkey's ranking for freedom of expression is consistently low, reflecting significant restrictions on media and public discourse. Reporters Without Borders ranks Turkey 158th out of 180 countries in its 2024 Press Freedom Index.
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Turkish police arrested at least four cartoonists on Monday accused of drawing and distributing a cartoon that authorities and protesters say is a depiction of the Prophet Mohammed and Moses. The cartoon, published in a political satire magazine, shows what appears to be a Muslim and a Jewish man, both with wings and halos, shaking hands and greeting each other as bombs fall below. The cartoon went viral on social media four days after it was published. Hundreds of people took to Istanbul's main tourist street, chanting 'Allah is Great' and calling for sharia law in protest. Turkish authorities quickly condemned the magazine. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya called the cartoon a provocation and said those 'who dare to do this will be held accountable before the law.' Yerlikaya said the cartoon was not protected by freedom of expression or freedom of speech. Fahrettin Altun, the head communications for the Turkish Presidency, called it a 'vile attack on our beliefs and values.' The country's Justice Ministry announced an investigation had been launched into the incident under Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code for the crime of 'publicly insulting religious values.' LeMan, the weekly political satire magazine known for irreverent comics similar to French Charlie Hebdo, released a statement saying their cartoon was not depicting the Islamic prophet. 'This cartoon is not a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). In the work, the name Mohammed is fictionalized as belonging to a Muslim person killed in Israel's bombardments. There are more than 200 million people named Mohammed in the Islamic world. The work does not refer to the Prophet Mohammed in any way,' the magazine said. 'By highlighting a murdered Muslim, the aim was to highlight the righteousness of the oppressed Muslim people, with no intention whatsoever of belittling religious values. We reject the stigma imposed on us, as there is no depiction of our Prophet,' LeMan said. 'To interpret the cartoon in such a way requires extreme malice,' the magazine added, but also offered an apology to any readers who may have been offended. As protesters took to the streets, the Interior Ministry released videos of cartoonists being detained in their homes, barefoot and handcuffed by police with captions such as 'You will not escape from our security forces or from justice.' Protesters were seen kicking the doors of the magazine offices in central Istanbul. In one video a demonstrator shouts, 'For our Prophet, we would give our lives and take lives; no one can insult our Prophet.' The crowd also performed a nighttime prayer. Within hours, Istanbul's governor Davut Gul announced that all four people who were wanted for the cartoon were in police custody. Gul did not say if any demonstrators were detained but said in a statement, 'It has been determined that some individuals mingling among the protesters have engaged in provocative actions. It is of great importance that the protesting groups disperse to prevent harm to our citizens and to maintain public order.' Some groups have called for further protests against the magazine on Tuesday. This is a developing story and will be updated.
