A drawing published in the Turkish satirical magazine Leman sparked a violent controversy in Türkiye. Several journalists were arrested and clashes broke out in the center of Istanbul.
A new front opened in Türkiye around freedom of expression. On Monday, June 30, 2025, the Turkish authorities arrested a press designer, the editor -in -chief of the Leman satirical magazine, as well as a graphic designer, after the publication of a drawing perceived by power as a representation of the prophet Mohamed.
The Office of the Istanbul prosecutor announced the opening of an investigation for “damage to religious values” following the publication of this illustration in the magazine’s June 26 issue. According to the authorities, the drawing constitutes an offense to the sacred symbols of Islam.
The Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, himself relayed images of the arrest of the caricaturist on X (formerly Twitter), describing it as an act of justice against “a vile drawing”.
The tension quickly mounted in the streets. In the evening, hundreds of demonstrators tried to attack a bar renowned to be frequented by collaborators in the newspaper. The police intervened with tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of more than 250 people, according to AFP.
The management of the magazine denies any will of blasphemy. The incriminated drawing shows two characters in the sky, above a bombed city. One, named Mohammed, shakes the hand of another, Musa (Moses), in what aims to be a scene of solidarity between two anonymous victims of war. The editor -in -chief, Tuncay Akgun, assures that it is a tribute to a civilian killed in Israeli raids, and not a representation of the Prophet. “We would never take such a risk,” he said.
The newspaper denounced on its social networks a “malicious reading” of the illustration and apologized to “sincerely injured readers”, while castigating the manipulations which, according to him, aim to silence him.
