A court has rejected a request by a man identifying himself as Muhammet Hasan Medineli to join as a complainant in the case opened over a cartoon published in Leman magazine. It later emerged that Medineli had also sought complainant status in the so-called Charlie Hebdo trial involving Cumhuriyet newspaper columnists.
Semra Pelek
A hearing was held at Istanbul’s 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance in the case against Leman magazine employees Zafer Aknar, Aslan Özdemir, Cebrail Okçu, Ali Yavuz, Doğan Pehlevan and Mehmet Tuncay Akgün. They are charged with “inciting the public to hatred and hostility through the press” over a cartoon published in the magazine criticizing the war during Israel’s ongoing operations in Gaza, which was alleged to depict the Prophet Muhammad and Jesus Christ.
Defendants Doğan Pehlevan, Ali Yavuz and Aslan Özdemir attended the hearing. The defendants said they had nothing further to add to their defense statements, while their lawyers requested the removal of judicial control measures and that their clients be exempted from attending future hearings.
A civilian attending the hearing stated that his name was Muhammet Hasan Medineli and requested to join the case as a complainant. Medineli said he was seeking “unreduced punishment” for the defendants. However, the court rejected his request on the grounds that he had not been directly harmed by the alleged offense.
It is known that Medineli had previously also sought complainant status in the case against Cumhuriyet newspaper writers, publicly known as the “Charlie Hebdo trial.” Medineli, who was reported to be visually impaired, had made a similar application in that case as well.
Arrest warrant pending, judicial control lifted
In its interim ruling, the court decided to await the execution of the arrest warrant issued for defendant Mehmet Tuncay Akgün. The court also accepted a request for Akgün, who is abroad, to give his statement in the country where he is currently located.
The court further ruled to lift the judicial control measure imposed on Doğan Pehlevan in the form of a travel ban. Defendants whose defense statements had been taken were exempted from attending future hearings.
The hearing was adjourned until 2 p.m. on Oct. 13.
What happened?
A cartoon by illustrator Doğan Pehlevan published in the June 26, 2025 issue of LeMan magazine depicted two deceased figures named Muhammed and Musa greeting each other above a bombed city with the phrases “Salam Alaikum” and “Aleichem Shalom,” during a period when Israel’s attacks on Gaza were ongoing.
After the cartoon circulated on social media on June 30, it became the target of Islamist groups and some state officials. Although LeMan management stated that the cartoon did not depict prophets, allegations to that effect spread rapidly. Attacks were carried out against the building housing the magazine, and calls for Sharia law were made outside it. While no action was taken regarding those attacks, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced that an investigation had been launched over the cartoon.
As part of the investigation, the magazine’s editor-in-chief Aslan Özdemir, managing editor Zafer Aknar, graphic designer Cebrail Okçu, administrative manager Ali Yavuz and illustrator Doğan Pehlevan were detained and arrested. An arrest warrant was also issued for executive editor Mehmet Tuncay Akgün, who was abroad.
The relevant issue of the magazine was confiscated, while access to LeMan’s website and social media accounts was blocked. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office prepared an indictment against six people on charges of “publicly inciting the public to hatred and hostility.”
Detained defendants Aslan Özdemir, Zafer Aknar, Cebrail Okçu and Ali Yavuz were released on Sept. 26, 2025, following objections to their detention. At the first hearing on Nov. 14, 2025, the court ruled for the release of detained defendant Doğan Pehlevan and the lifting of judicial control measures imposed on the other defendants.
