Latest news with #DoganPehlevan
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Turkish cartoonist jailed pending trial over drawing accused of insulting Prophet
A Turkish court on Wednesday ordered the arrest of cartoonist Dogan Pehlevan and three others pending trial, after a drawing in their satirical magazine stirred outrage among religious conservatives and condemnation by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Pehlevan faces charges, which he denies, of inciting hatred and insulting the president, according to a court document. Justice Minster Yilmaz Tunc said the four had been arrested. The cartoon, published shortly after war ended between Israel and Iran, showed two elderly men named Mohammad and Moses shaking hands in the sky while missiles flew below — a scene critics said blasphemously referenced Muslim and Jewish prophets. On Tuesday, Erdogan called the Leman magazine cartoon a 'vile provocation' and vowed that 'those who show disrespect to our Prophet and other prophets will be held accountable before the law.' His AK Party called it an Islamophobic hate crime. In a court statement seen by Reuters, Pehlevan denied targeting religious figures, saying the names were commonly used and intended to represent ordinary victims of war. 'If I hadreferred the prophets, I would have used an expression like 'Prophet',' he said. 'The cartoon is a call for peace.' Pehlevan faces charges of 'inciting hatred and enmity' and 'insulting the president', the court document said. Three other Leman staff members — the managing editor, graphic designer, and administrative director — were also referred to court under similar charges. Leman has apologized to readers who felt offended and said the cartoon was misunderstood. It said Pehlevan sought to portray the suffering of civilians in wartime and that there was no intent to insult Islam.
Associated Press
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Turkey arrests 4 satirical magazine staff for inciting ‘public hatred' with cartoon
ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish authorities on Wednesday arrested four staff members of a satirical magazine on charges of inciting 'public hatred and enmity' over a controversial cartoon that officials claim depicts the Prophet Muhammad, Turkish state television reported. The cartoon, published in the weekly LeMan magazine, sparked a backlash from government officials and religious groups, culminating in protests outside the magazine's Istanbul offices. Authorities claim that the cartoon violates laws against provoking hostility and social divisions. The magazine denies the allegations. In a statement, LeMan said the illustration portrays a Muslim named Muhammad, not the Prophet, and was intended to highlight the suffering of Muslims during armed conflict. On Wednesday, a court in Istanbul ordered four staff — LeMan's cartoonist Dogan Pehlevan, Editor-in-Chief Zafer Aknar, graphic designer Cebrail Okcu, and manager Ali Yavuz — be detained in custody pending a trial, TRT television reported. Authorities have also issued warrants for two editors believed to be abroad, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Footage released by the Interior Ministry earlier this week showed some of the detainees, including Pehlevan and Yavuz, being forcibly taken from their homes with their hands cuffed behind their backs. The pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper said the cartoon showed 'two figures alleged to be Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses — with wings and halos — shaking hands in the sky, while a war scene unfolds below with bombs raining down.' The independent Birgun newspaper said the winged figures hovering in the sky were interpreted by some as Prophets Muhammad and Moses. LeMan has apologized to readers for any offence caused by the cartoon, but maintains that the drawing was misinterpreted. It has also asked judicial authorities to defend freedom of expression and shield its staff from ongoing threats. The cartoon triggered protests outside the magazine's Istanbul office, with demonstrators — reportedly from an Islamist organization -- throwing rocks at the building. Tensions flared again Tuesday, with dozens staging a demonstration following noon prayers at a mosque in central Istanbul. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called the cartoon a 'clear provocation disguised as humor' and vowed that 'those who insult the Prophet and other messengers will be held accountable before the law.' Ozgur Ozel, the leader of Turkey's main opposition, however, expressed support to the magazine, stating that he does not consider the cartoon to be depicting the prophet. 'I see an angel who died in a bombardment in Gaza, with a halo and wings, who encounters another angel also killed by a bomb. They meet each other in the sky,' he said. Ozel added: 'I will not allow any disrespect to the Prophet Muhammad, but I won't remain silent toward a social lynching based on a non-existent disrespect.' The incident has reignited debate about press freedom in Turkey, which ranks 159th out of 180 countries in the 2025 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index. Critics argue that laws intended to curb hate speech are increasingly being used to silence dissenting voices. __ Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.
TimesLIVE
11 hours ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Erdogan says cartoon depicting prophets is ‘vile provocation'
In a statement on X, Leman said: 'the work does not refer to the Prophet Mohammad in any way'. The cartoonist, Dogan Pehlevan, had sought to highlight 'the suffering of a Muslim man killed in Israeli attacks', it said, adding there was no intent to insult Islam or its prophet. The magazine urged authorities to counter what it called a smear campaign, and to protect freedom of expression. Several civil society groups condemned the detentions as a violation of freedom of thought and expression. Türkiye's freedom of expression ranking is low due to restrictions on media and public discourse. Reporters Without Borders ranked it 158th out of 180 countries in its 2024 Press Freedom Index. More than 200 people rallied against Leman in central Istanbul on Tuesday, despite a ban on gatherings and a heavy police presence. One protester, public servant Muhammed Emin Necipsoy, said the magazine's defence seemed insincere. 'There is a subtle emphasis there on the prophet Mohammad and the prophet Moses,' he said. Late on Monday, interior minister Ali Yerlikaya shared a video on X showing police officers detaining Pehlevan with his hands cuffed behind his back as he was dragged up a stairwell. He also shared videos of three other men being removed from their homes and dragged into vans, one of them barefoot. 'The individual who drew this vile image, DP, has been apprehended and taken into custody. These shameless people will be held accountable before the law,' Yerlikaya wrote. The government said an inquiry was launched under a penal code article that criminalises incitement to hatred and enmity.
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Turkish police arrest cartoonists over drawing ‘showing prophet Muhammad'
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has condemned a cartoon in a satirical magazine as a 'vile provocation' for appearing to depict the prophets Muhammad and Moses, amplifying an outcry by religious conservatives. The cartoon, published a few days after the end of a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, appears to show Muhammad, Islam's chief prophet, and Moses, one of Judaism's most important prophets, shaking hands in the sky while missiles fly below in a wartime scene. Four cartoonists were arrested on Monday over the illustration. It was criticised by religious conservatives and by Erdoğan's ruling party, which called it an 'Islamophobic hate crime,' even as the magazine that published it, LeMan, apologised to readers who felt offended and said the drawing had been misunderstood. 'We will not allow anyone to speak against our sacred values,' Erdoğan said in televised remarks, adding that the authorities would closely follow the legal process. 'Those who show disrespect to our prophet and other prophets will be held accountable before the law,' he said. Erdoğan and his Islamic-rooted AK Party regularly criticise what they call Islamophobic acts in broadly secular Turkey and across Europe. Devout Muslims regard depictions of the prophet Muhammad as blasphemous. In a statement on X, LeMan said: 'The work does not refer to the Prophet Muhammad in any way.' The cartoonist, Dogan Pehlevan, had sought to highlight 'the suffering of a Muslim man killed in Israeli attacks', it said, adding there had been no intent to insult Islam or its prophet. The magazine urged authorities to counter what it called a smear campaign, and to protect freedom of expression. Several civil society groups condemned the detentions of the four cartoonists as a violation of freedom of thought and expression. Turkey's freedom of expression ranking is low, due to restrictions on media and public discourse. Reporters Without Borders ranked it 158th out of 180 countries in its 2024 Press Freedom Index. More than 200 people rallied against LeMan in central Istanbul on Tuesday, despite a ban on gatherings and a heavy police presence. One protester, public servant Muhammed Emin Necipsoy, said the magazine's defence seemed insincere. 'There is a subtle emphasis there on both the prophet [Muhammad] and the prophet Moses,' he said. Turkey's interior minister, Ali Yerlikaya, shared a video on X showing police officers detaining Pehlevan, with his hands cuffed behind his back as he was dragged up a flight of stairs. He also shared videos of three other men being removed from their homes and put into vans, one of them barefoot. 'The individual who drew this vile image, D.P., has been apprehended and taken into custody. These shameless people will be held accountable before the law,' Yerlikaya wrote. The Turkish government said an inquiry had been launched under a law that criminalises incitement to hatred and enmity.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Turkish police arrest cartoonists over drawing ‘showing prophet Muhammad'
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has condemned a cartoon in a satirical magazine as a 'vile provocation' for appearing to depict the prophets Muhammad and Moses, amplifying an outcry by religious conservatives. The cartoon, published a few days after the end of a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, appears to show Muhammad, Islam's chief prophet, and Moses, one of Judaism's most important prophets, shaking hands in the sky while missiles fly below in a wartime scene. Four cartoonists were arrested on Monday over the illustration. It was criticised by religious conservatives and by Erdoğan's ruling party, which called it an 'Islamophobic hate crime,' even as the magazine that published it, LeMan, apologised to readers who felt offended and said the drawing had been misunderstood. 'We will not allow anyone to speak against our sacred values,' Erdoğan said in televised remarks, adding that the authorities would closely follow the legal process. 'Those who show disrespect to our prophet and other prophets will be held accountable before the law,' he said. Erdoğan and his Islamic-rooted AK Party regularly criticise what they call Islamophobic acts in broadly secular Turkey and across Europe. Devout Muslims regard depictions of the prophet Muhammad as blasphemous. In a statement on X, LeMan said: 'The work does not refer to the Prophet Muhammad in any way.' The cartoonist, Dogan Pehlevan, had sought to highlight 'the suffering of a Muslim man killed in Israeli attacks', it said, adding there had been no intent to insult Islam or its prophet. The magazine urged authorities to counter what it called a smear campaign, and to protect freedom of expression. Several civil society groups condemned the detentions of the four cartoonists as a violation of freedom of thought and expression. Turkey's freedom of expression ranking is low, due to restrictions on media and public discourse. Reporters Without Borders ranked it 158th out of 180 countries in its 2024 Press Freedom Index. More than 200 people rallied against LeMan in central Istanbul on Tuesday, despite a ban on gatherings and a heavy police presence. One protester, public servant Muhammed Emin Necipsoy, said the magazine's defence seemed insincere. 'There is a subtle emphasis there on both the prophet [Muhammad] and the prophet Moses,' he said. Turkey's interior minister, Ali Yerlikaya, shared a video on X showing police officers detaining Pehlevan, with his hands cuffed behind his back as he was dragged up a flight of stairs. He also shared videos of three other men being removed from their homes and put into vans, one of them barefoot. 'The individual who drew this vile image, D.P., has been apprehended and taken into custody. These shameless people will be held accountable before the law,' Yerlikaya wrote. The Turkish government said an inquiry had been launched under a law that criminalises incitement to hatred and enmity.
