Key facts
- Comedian Deniz Goktas was detained at Istanbul Airport.
- The detention follows an investigation into alleged insults to religious values.
- Goktas' stand-up routine was widely viewed online and received numerous complaints.
- Authorities previously blocked access to excerpts of the show on social media.
Turkish authorities detained comedian Deniz Goktas at Istanbul Airport on Thursday as he returned from a trip abroad, following an investigation into allegations that his stand-up routine insulted religious values. The state-run Anadolu Agency reported the detention.
Goktas' show, recorded in Istanbul last month and uploaded to YouTube, garnered millions of views and led to dozens of complaints from offended viewers, according to the pro-government newspaper Sabah. Authorities had previously blocked access to excerpts of the routine that were posted on social media.
Critics of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's more than two-decade tenure argue that he has progressively limited free expression in Turkey, with such restrictions now extending into popular culture. Goktas is the latest public figure to face investigation or prosecution for remarks deemed offensive.