A Turkish comedian was rearrested Friday on new charges shortly after a court ordered his release from a case in which he had been prosecuted since July for insulting Islam and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish media reported.
Deniz Goktas © TMN
A Turkish comedian was rearrested Friday on new charges shortly after a court ordered his release from a case in which he had been prosecuted since July for insulting Islam and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish media reported.
Deniz Goktas, 32, whose stand-up shows draw millions of views online, was detained at Istanbul airport in early July. His arrest came amid a broader crackdown by Turkish authorities on government critics, with musicians, artists, journalists and politicians facing legal action.
On Friday, a court ordered his release following an appeal against his July detention, private broadcaster NTV reported.
But before the ruling could be enforced, prosecutors opened a new investigation targeting the comedian, who is held in the northwestern city of Corlu. He was rearrested for "praising a crime and a criminal" over comments made during one of his shows, preventing his release from prison, according to NTV.
His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.
By Murat Güneş
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