ISTANBUL: An Istanbul court convicted a popular Turkish comedian on Monday of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and another offence but ordered his interim release pending appeal, a reporter in the courtroom said.

Following a lively opening session in which Deniz Goktas, 32, offered a quick-witted defence that had much of the courtroom in stitches, the judge convicted him on two charges, sentencing him to just over 19 months in prison.

But until the sentence is finalised — which only happens after it is reviewed by an appeals court — the judge ordered his release. It was not immediately clear how long the process would take.

Known for his dry wit and political satire, Goktas has spent nearly three months in Karatepe high-security prison since his arrest on July 3, a week after a YouTube video of his “Dead Sea” show went viral, reaching nine million views.

Goktas went on trial for insulting Erdogan, incitement to public hatred and praising crime and criminals. The judge convicted Goktas on the first charge.

He then amended the second charge to “insulting religious values” and convicted him of that too, while acquitting him on charge three, the correspondent said. When the hearing opened, Goktas took to the stand to weave a defence rich in political satire, making witty observations that frequently had the courtroom in fits of laughter.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2026