The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners strongly condemn the arrest of four staff members of Leman, one of Türkiye’s leading satirical magazines, and express deep concern over the ongoing judicial, economic, and physical pressure targeting it following the publication of a cartoon deemed offensive by religious and conservative groups.
The cartoon, published in Leman’s 26 June issue, depicts two men named Muhammad and Moses greeting each other above a bombed city. The magazine clarified that the cartoon was intended as a criticism of Israel’s 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 26 June, 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 #LemanDergisiKapatılsın. Senior political and religious figures – including the President, the Minister of Interior, the Minister of Justice, and the Governor of Istanbul – publicly denounced the magazine.
On 1 July, hundreds of angry protesters gathered outside Leman’s Istanbul headquarters, attacking the building and prompting police intervention using rubber bullets and tear gas. Protesters chanted: ‘We will do anything for our Prophet. We will die, we will kill!’
A criminal investigation was launched under Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code for incitement to hatred and enmity and openly insulting religious values, and four staff – Zafer Aknar (editor-in-chief), Cebrail Okçu (graphic designer), Doğan Pehlevan (cartoonist), and Ali Yavuz (manager) – were detained, with the aggressive use of rear-handcuffing.
On 2 July, all four were formally arrested, facing charges including ‘inciting public hatred and enmity’ and ‘insulting religious values’, and in Dogan Pehlevan’s case, an additional accusation of insulting the president was reported.
A financial investigation was also initiated 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 ‘agent of influence’ bill targeting foreign-funded entities.
In parallel, a court ordered the confiscation of the 26 June print issue and imposed a nationwide access ban on Leman’s official website, further escalating censorship against the outlet.
Another concerning development is the 3 July decision of Türkiye’s broadcast regulator to impose an administrative fine against Sözcü TV, and to suspend five programmes for ‘violation of national and moral values’ for economics expert Dr. Murat Kubilay’s commentary on the LeMan cartoon. RTÜK justified this decision by explaining that Kubilay’s statement ‘divides society into enlightened and reactionary groups’ and ‘fuels polarisation’.
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 Türkiye, 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 coordinated by the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries.
