Overview

• Istanbul police seized Leman’s Istiklal Avenue offices and arrested four key staff members, including the cartoonist, editor-in-chief and a graphic artist.
• The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into the June 26 issue for “openly disparaging religious values” under Article 216.
• Hundreds of demonstrators attacked a bar frequented by Leman employees, resulting in clashes with police involving around 250 to 300 participants.
• Leman’s editor-in-chief Tuncay Akgün and the magazine’s team denied that the image depicted Prophet Mohammed, calling the interpretation a deliberate provocation.
• The operation has intensified public debate over press freedom and highlighted growing state pressure on independent media in Turkey.