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Turkish comedian rearrested after release over viral stand-up performance

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ISTANBUL (Medyascope) – Deniz Göktaş, a Turkish comedian whose viral performance in June resulted in an investigation and later his arrest, was rearrested last week shortly after a court ordered his release from a maximum-security prison in Turkey’s European Çorlu province, where he has been held for over a month and a half. 

By Leo Kendrick • Medyascope

The reasons given for Göktaş’ rearrest were the same charges that landed the comedian in prison in the first place: ‘insulting the president’ and ‘inciting the public to hatred and animosity’.

An appeal filed by Göktaş’ lawyers resulted in a ruling on Friday, August 28th that the comedian be released. However, before he was able to exit prison, he was arrested once again, this time with an added third charge of ‘praising crime and criminals’. The order for Göktaş’ rearrest came following an objection from prosecutors after the initial decision to release him.

Ölü Deniz performance

In June, Göktaş took the stage at Istanbul’s open-air Harbiye venue, one of the largest such venues in the country, for a 1.5 hour stand-up performance in which the comedian covered a wide variety of topics including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, and the Quran. On June 24th, Göktaş released a full cut of the performance to his YouTube channel, where the video quickly amassed millions of views.

At the time of Göktaş’ arrest in early July, the video had some 12 million views. Although the video was banned in Turkey in early July by authorities, this number has since swelled to 14 million, while shorter clips of the performance have gone viral across social media platforms. Estimates indicate a significant portion of Turkey’s population of 86 million have viewed clips from the performance, and news of Göktaş’ investigation and arrest dominated the country’s news cycle throughout late June and early July. 

At the time the investigation into Göktaş’ viral video was launched, the comedian was vacationing abroad, and denied rumors he had strategically fled the country following the performance. Upon his arrival at Istanbul Airport, Göktaş was detained by authorities.

Göktaş has enjoyed success as a stand-up comedian in recent years, embarking on tours in Europe and North America, as well as domestically in Turkey. The Çorlu prison, where Göktaş is currently being held is known notoriously as the ‘bottom of the well’ for its lack of sunlight. A report by the Istanbul Bar Association noted numerous human rights violations at the facility, which is typically reserved for violent offenders serving aggravated life sentences. 

Turkish comedian rearrested after release over viral stand-up performance | Written/translated by Leo Kendrick | Edited by Medyascope English Newsroom

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