From the Liveblog of
Saturday, August 29, 2026
Turkish comic rearrested on separate charges after release order
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleA Turkish comedian has been rearrested after a court ordered his release in a separate case in which he was accused of insulting Islam and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish media reports.
Deniz Goktas, 32, whose stand-up performances have attracted millions of views online, was detained at Istanbul airport in July.
His arrest comes amid a widening crackdown by Turkish authorities on critics of Erdogan’s government, with musicians, artists, journalists and politicians among those facing legal investigations.
A court today ordered his release following an appeal against his July detention, the private NTV broadcaster reports.
en sevdiğim şakam, nedense pek paylaşılmadı. pic.twitter.com/7TyBg6pXQb
— Deniz Göktaş (@idgoktas) June 30, 2026
But before the ruling could be implemented, prosecutors launched a separate investigation into Goktas, who is being held in the northwestern town of Corlu.
He was rearrested on charges of “praising a crime and a criminal” over remarks made during one of his performances, preventing his release from prison, according to NTV.
The Times of Israel Community.