ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish authorities on Wednesday arrested four staff members of a satirical magazine on charges of inciting “public hatred and enmity” over a controversial cartoon that officials claim depicts the Prophet Muhammad, Turkish state television reported.
The cartoon, published in the weekly LeMan magazine, sparked a backlash from government officials and religious groups, culminating in protests outside the magazine’s Istanbul offices. Authorities claim that the cartoon violates laws against provoking hostility and social divisions.
The magazine denies the allegations.
In a statement, LeMan said the illustration portrays a Muslim named Muhammad, not the Prophet, and was intended to highlight the suffering of Muslims during armed conflict.
On Wednesday, a court in Istanbul ordered four staff — LeMan’s cartoonist Dogan Pehlevan, Editor-in-Chief Zafer Aknar, graphic designer Cebrail Okcu, and manager Ali Yavuz — be detained in custody pending a trial, TRT television reported.
Authorities have also issued warrants for two editors believed to be abroad, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Footage released by the Interior Ministry earlier this week showed some of the detainees, including Pehlevan and Yavuz, being forcibly taken from their homes with their hands cuffed behind their backs.
The pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper said the cartoon showed “two figures alleged to be Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses — with wings and halos — shaking hands in the sky, while a war scene unfolds below with bombs raining down.” The independent Birgun newspaper said the winged figures hovering in the sky were interpreted by some as Prophets Muhammad and Moses.
LeMan has apologized to readers for any offence caused by the cartoon, but maintains that the drawing was misinterpreted. It has also asked judicial authorities to defend freedom of expression and shield its staff from ongoing threats.
The cartoon triggered protests outside the magazine’s Istanbul office, with demonstrators — reportedly from an Islamist organization — throwing rocks at the building. Tensions flared again Tuesday, with dozens staging a demonstration following noon prayers at a mosque in central Istanbul.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called the cartoon a “clear provocation disguised as humor” and vowed that “those who insult the Prophet and other messengers will be held accountable before the law.”
Ozgur Ozel, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition, however, expressed support to the magazine, stating that he does not consider the cartoon to be depicting the prophet.
“I see an angel who died in a bombardment in Gaza, with a halo and wings, who encounters another angel also killed by a bomb. They meet each other in the sky,” he said.
Ozel added: “I will not allow any disrespect to the Prophet Muhammad, but I won’t remain silent toward a social lynching based on a non-existent disrespect.”
The incident has reignited debate about press freedom in Turkey, which ranks 159th out of 180 countries in the 2025 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index. Critics argue that laws intended to curb hate speech are increasingly being used to silence dissenting voices.
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Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.
