Turkey jails stand-up comic for jokes about Erdogan, Islam

www.offthepress.com

Stand-up comedian Deniz Göktaş has been placed under arrest by a court in Istanbul after he was held at the city’s main airport over a performance that has attracted 9.4m views on YouTube.

Göktaş is accused of “inciting hatred and hostility” in his stage routine, as well as insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

He is the latest performer to be hit by a crackdown on dissent in Turkey that has also targeted campaigners, journalists and other public figures.

In recent weeks, access to the social media accounts of numerous LGBT+ organisations and activists has been blocked, while more than 200 people have been detained ahead of next week’s Nato leaders’ summit in the capital Ankara.

Tens of thousands of security personnel are being deployed for the 7-8 July summit hosted by Erdogan where US President Donald Trump will meet his European counterparts and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky.

Last month journalists, lawyers, academics, trade unionists, environmental activists and LGBT campaigners were detained.

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