Court has ruled for release of the only imprisoned defendant in the trial of six magazine employees, Doğan Pehlevan. However, the cartoonist will remain in prison due to another case in which he is accused of “insulting the president.” The second hearing will take place on 5 May.

ÖZLEM ALTUNOK, ISTANBUL

The first hearing in the trial of six employees of the weekly satirical magazine LeMan, on the charge of “inciting the public to hatred and hostility through the press” was held at the İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 14 November 2025.

The hearing, monitored by P24, was attended by the Editor-in-Chief Zafer Aknar, the Managing Editor Aslan Özdemir, the graphic designer Cebrail Okçu, and the Managing Director Ali Yavuz, who are free pending trial, along with their lawyers. The cartoonist Doğan Pehlevan, who is in pre-trial detention, connected to the hearing via the judicial videoconferencing system from the Kartepe High Security Closed Prison where he is being held.

Mehmet Tuncay Akgün, the editor-in-chief of the magazine, who was abroad, did not attend the hearing. After his identity was verified, Pehlevan presented his defense, emphasizing that he did not intend to incite hatred and hostility in society, as stated in the indictment, but rather drew a cartoon calling for peace, showing respect for the values of society.

Pehlevan said, “Muhammad and Moses are common names representing Muslims and Jews, respectively. The cartoon illustrates that two people who died in war can be brothers in the presence of God.”

In his defense, Pehlevan's lawyer, Kerem Altıparmak, stated that Pehlevan had been deprived of all his constitutional rights based on an allegation and that the presumption of innocence had been violated. Altıparmak continued, "There was no investigation, yet the Minister of Justice and the Minister of the Interior made statements about my client. My client's photos in handcuffs were released to the press. There was no terrorist situation, yet the investigation was conducted by the terrorism bureau. While all this was happening, the LeMan magazine building was raided.” Altıparmak said that the elements necessary for the application of Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code, which is the subject of the indictment, did not exist, and that the element of ”inciting the public to hatred and hostility," as alleged, was not present in the case file. He emphasized that the cartoon should be evaluated within the scope of freedom of expression.

Lawyer Fikret İlkiz, on the other hand, underlined that the indictment was prepared in violation of the Press Law. İlkiz said, "This indictment was written at the request of the prosecutor's office. The fact that this was done despite the existence of the Press Law shows that this indictment was written for political reasons. For the first time in Turkey, a graphic artist is being asked, ‘Did you see the cartoon?’ The creator is responsible for the work. You are bringing people before us as defendants who cannot legally be defendants. Because the Press Law was not applied, the case was opened under Article 216/1 of the Turkish Penal Code. Opening this case is unlawful."

The court decided to release Pehlevan, the only defendant in custody in the case, with a ban on leaving the country. However, Pehlevan, who is in custody on charges of “insulting the president” in another case, will remain in custody.

The court lifted the judicial control measures against Zafer Aknar, Aslan Özdemir, Cebrail Okçu, and Ali Yavuz, who were tried without detention, and decided to await the execution of the arrest warrant against Mehmet Tunca Akgün.

The case was postponed until 5 May 2026.

Background of the case

Cartoonist Doğan Pehlevan's cartoon, published in the 26 June 2025 issue of LeMan magazine, depicted two figures named Muhammad and Musa, who had lost their lives during Israel's intense attacks on Gaza, greeting each other with “Selamün Aleyküm” and “Aleyhem Salom” to each other above a bombed city. The cartoon became the target of religious groups and state authorities after it circulated on social media on 30 June. Although LeMan's management stated that the cartoon did not depict the prophet, misinformation spread rapidly. While no action was taken against those who attacked the building housing the magazine and called for Sharia law in front of it, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced that an investigation had been launched into the cartoon, which he considered an “attack on religious values and public peace.” The magazine's Editor-in-Chief Aslan Özdemir, Managing Editor Zafer Aknar, graphic designer Cebrail Okçu, Facility Manager Ali Yavuz, and cartoonist Doğan Pehlevan were detained and imprisoned pending trial. An arrest warrant was issued for editor-in-chief Mehmet Tuncay Akgün, who was abroad. The relevant issue of the magazine was confiscated, and access to LeMan's website and social media accounts was blocked.

The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against these six individuals on the charge of “publicly inciting the public to hatred and hostility.” Aslan Özdemir, Zafer Aknar, Cebrail Okçu, and Ali Yavuz were released on 26 September after appealing their detention.