The International Press Institute (IPI) today joins partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in strongly condemning the arrest of four staff members of Leman, one of T眉rkiye鈥檚 leading satirical magazines, and express deep concern over the ongoing judicial, economic and physical pressure targeting the publication following the release of a cartoon deemed offensive by religious and conservative groups.
The cartoon, published in Leman鈥檚 June 26 issue, depicted two men named Muhammad and Moses greeting each other above a bombed city. The magazine that the cartoon was intended as a criticism of Israel鈥檚 ongoing attacks on Gaza, and did not represent religious figures, and denied any intent to insult sacred values. Despite this explanation, a massive backlash ensued, including official condemnation, violent protests, legal actions, and threats of closure.
On June 26, Leman published the cartoon in its weekly edition. Over the next three days, online outrage spread with over 345,000 social media posts on X using the hashtag . Senior political and religious figures 鈥� including the President, Minister of Interior, Minister of Justice, and Governor of Istanbul 鈥� publicly denounced the magazine.
On July 1, hundreds of angry protesters outside Leman鈥檚 Istanbul headquarters, attacking the building and prompting police with rubber bullets and tear gas. Protesters : 鈥淲e will do anything for our Prophet. We will die, we will kill!鈥�
A criminal investigation was under Article鈥�216 of the Turkish Penal Code for incitement to hatred and enmity and openly insulting religious values, and four staff鈥擹afer Aknar (editor-in-chief), Cebrail Ok莽u (graphic designer), Do臒an Pehlevan (cartoonist), and Ali Yavuz (manager)鈥� were , with the use of rear-handcuffing.
On July 2, all four were formally , facing charges including 鈥渋nciting public hatred and enmity鈥� and 鈥渋nsulting religious values鈥�, and in Dogan Pehlevan鈥檚 case, an additional accusation of insulting the President was reported.
A financial investigation was also against Leman, and arrest warrants were issued for the owner, currently based in France, as well as another senior manager. Authorities are investigating potential foreign financial support, aligning with the controversial 鈥渁gent of influence鈥� bill targeting foreign-funded entities.
In parallel, a court the confiscation of the June 26 print issue and imposed a nationwide access ban on Leman鈥檚 official website, further escalating censorship against the outlet.
Another concerning development is the July 3 decision of Turkey鈥檚 broadcast regulator to an administrative fine and suspend five programs for 鈥渧iolation of national and moral values鈥� against S枚zc眉 TV for a commentary on the LeMan cartoon by economics expert Dr. Murat Kubilay. RT脺K justified this decision by explaining that Kubilay鈥檚 statement 鈥渄ivides society into enlightened and reactionary groups鈥� and 鈥渇uels polarisation鈥�.
This campaign of judicial harassment represents a grave violation of press freedom and demonstrates how Turkish authorities continue to weaponise criminal and administrative law to silence independent media.
This case is emblematic of the broader decline of press freedom in Turkey, where authorities have consistently used politically motivated prosecutions, economic pressure, and public smear campaigns to target critical and independent voices.
The MFRR partners call for the immediate release of all detained Leman staff and for all charges related to the cartoon to be dropped. We urge Turkish authorities to end the political, legal, and financial harassment of the magazine and to uphold their obligation to ensure the safety of its journalists and staff.
Signed by:
International Press Institute (IPI)
ARTICLE 19 Europe
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)
This statement was produced by IPI as part of the聽, a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and candidate countries, funded by the European Commission.