MLSA - Doğan Pehlevan, a cartoonist for the Turkish satirical magazine LeMan, has been released from pretrial detention in a case where he is accused of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The decision came during the second hearing of the case at Istanbul’s 36th Criminal Court of First Instance. Pehlevan was released on the condition that he check in once a week and is barred from leaving the country.
The charges stem from social media posts allegedly made from an account claimed to belong to Pehlevan. However, speaking via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS), Pehlevan denied owning the account. “I have never had a Twitter account. As someone who writes and draws, I don’t feel the need to express myself on social media,” he said. “The tone of those posts is completely unlike mine.”
His lawyer, Ali Deniz Ceylan, stated that Pehlevan was initially detained not because of the posts, but because of a cartoon published in LeMan magazine. “We only became aware of the alleged social media account during that process,” Ceylan said, adding, “My client does not have a social media account. The police records contain no findings that link the account to him.”
Ceylan also emphasized that this case was separate from a previous legal case—dubbed the “cartoon crisis”—in which Pehlevan had already been released. He said the client cannot be linked to the crime in this new file either.
The prosecutor requested that Pehlevan remain in custody, but the defense argued that pretrial detention violated the principles of proportionality and fairness. The court ruled in favor of release, imposing the reporting and travel restrictions.
Background on the case
Pehlevan had previously been detained over a cartoon published in the June 26 edition of LeMan, which allegedly depicted the prophets Muhammad and Moses in the same drawing. That cartoon led to charges of “inciting hatred and hostility” and “denigrating a segment of the public.” He was released from custody in that case last week, but remained jailed due to the separate charge of insulting the president.
In the earlier case, LeMan's editorial director, administrative director, and a graphic designer were also detained, but they were released on Sept. 26. Pehlevan's trial in that case is still ongoing.
