Overview

• The four employees held include cartoonist Dogan Pehlevan, graphic designer Cebrail Okcu, editor-in-chief Zafer Aknar and institutional director Ali Yavuz, all accused of insulting religious values.
• Istanbul’s chief public prosecutor launched a formal investigation under Article 216 of the Penal Code and issued arrest warrants for six people, two of whom remain at large.
• President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and senior ministers condemned the illustration as a “vile provocation” and vowed to hold those responsible accountable under the law.
• Islamist demonstrators hurled stones at LeMan’s Istanbul headquarters and clashed with riot police, who deployed rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowds.
• Human rights and press freedom groups warn the case highlights deepening tensions in Turkey between free expression and religious sensitivity and underscores its low press freedom ranking.