Four staff members of the satirical magazine Leman were arrested after a cartoon accused of insulting religious values triggered violent protests in Istanbul and drew sharp reactions from across the political spectrum.
Protesters gathered outside the magazine’s Beyoğlu office, chanting lynch threats, waving caliphate flags, and referencing the deadly 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack in France. The publishers denied the cartoon was offensive.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched a criminal investigation, detaining cartoonist Doğan Pehlevan, graphic designer Ali Yavuz, editorial staffer Zafer Aknar, and administrative manager Cebrail Okçu. All were taken into custody with handcuffs—one without shoes—and sent directly to Istanbul’s 4th Criminal Court of Peace, which ordered their arrest without taking statements. Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç later announced arrest warrants for Leman founders Mehmet Tunçay Akgün and Aslan Özdemir, both currently abroad.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya shared footage of the detentions and promised to hold them accountable. Meanwhile, the Beyoğlu District Governorate imposed a 24-hour ban on public gatherings. Despite heavy police presence and barricades around Taksim Square and İstiklal Avenue, demonstrators assembled near Taksim Mosque, chanting, “Despicable Leman, don’t forget Charlie Hebdo.” The protest, reportedly organized by the Great Eastern Raiders Association, a group linked to the outlawed Islamist militant group IBDA-C, escalated into attacks on nearby cafés and bystanders. Journalist Eylül Deniz, documenting the scene, was assaulted.
Meanwhile, a day later, a protest was organized around Taksim Mosque despite the ban.
While there were no detentions of the protestors, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has also launched a financial investigation into Leman. Authorities are examining whether the magazine received foreign funding, especially in connection to the cartoon’s publication.
CARTOON UNDER FIRE, POLITICIANS DIVIDED
The protestors said the cartoon, published in the magazine’s June 26 issue, depicted the Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses—both representations forbidden in Islam—leading to accusations of inciting hatred and religious insult.
Editor-in-Chief Tuncay Akgün, speaking from exile, denied that, explaining the figure was a fictional Palestinian child named Muhammad. “We would never take that kind of risk,” he told AFP.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan denounced the cartoon as “a vile provocation disguised as satire,” pledging legal consequences. MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli called for a strategic response to what he termed the “infiltration of Islamophobia.”
İYİ Party leader Müsavat Dervişoğlu criticized the cartoon as a destabilizing provocation, yet also warned against politicizing the public reaction. Citing the presence of caliphate banners and anti-Atatürk slogans, he declared, “This nation will not allow harm to come to either of the two Mustafas—Prophet Muhammad and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.”
ÖZEL DEFENDS MAGAZINE, MAYORS DISTANCE THEMSELVES
Within the main opposition CHP, reactions were mixed.
Party Chair Özgür Özel defended Leman, asserting that the cartoon had been misinterpreted. “There was no disrespect to the Prophet. I will not stay silent in the face of a lynch campaign based on a false claim,” he said, describing the image as an angelic portrayal of a Palestinian child. Özel also praised Leman’s past coverage on issues like the Mavi Marmara incident and Israel-Turkey trade, calling it a voice of conscience when others remained silent.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu condemned the cartoon as “presumptuous” but urged restraint. Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş went further, labeling the image “disrespectful” while refraining from addressing the violence.
PRO-GOVERNMENT FIGURES DEMAND TOUGHER ACTION
As legal proceedings intensified against Leman magazine, some pro-government voices pressured authorities for harsher and more visible enforcement.
Islamist columnist İsmail Kılıçarslan publicly criticized Interior Minister Yerlikaya on X, demanding immediate detentions of those under investigation. In a sharply worded post, he questioned the delay and insisted on publicized, forceful arrests: “Are you giving them makeup time again? If we don’t see heads pushed down with zip ties in a tweet captioned ‘justice served,’ our hands will be at your throat.”
Selman Öğüt, known for his staunch support of former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu and connections to online troll networks, posted vague praise for Soylu’s public image, calling him “a man embraced by the people wherever he goes.” The timing of the post suggested criticism of the current minister’s handling of the case.
SOME CONSERVATIVES CONDEMN DEMONSTRATORS
Conservative columnist Nihal Bengisu Karaca criticized the protestors’ rhetoric and behavior, warning that religious slogans were being weaponized. “They’ve turned ‘Allahu Akbar’ into a lynching slogan,” she wrote. “What happened that night was not Islam. The Prophet Muhammad never defended himself like this.”
Karaca rejected the claim that the cartoon was insulting, arguing the protests stemmed more from a desire to dominate public spaces than genuine religious sensitivity. “That night, everyone who wanted to profit from provocation stood on the same side,” she wrote.
Theologian İhsan Eliaçık also condemned the attacks, describing them as premeditated and akin to raids. “Even if the Prophet were mocked, the Quran tells you only to leave the scene. Anything beyond that is oppression,” he posted on X.
