ISTANBUL, Turkey (BN24) — Police in Turkey detained three additional employees of a prominent satirical magazine on Tuesday as authorities escalated their response to a cartoon accused of depicting the Prophet Muhammad, a controversy that has ignited protests and fierce debate over free expression.
The detentions bring the total number of LeMan magazine staff taken into custody to four. The cartoon, which appeared in the weekly publication, quickly drew condemnation from Turkish officials and religious groups, who claimed the artwork showed the Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses hovering above a war scene with wings and halos as bombs fell below.
LeMan strongly rejected those allegations. In a statement late Monday, the magazine insisted the illustration portrayed a Muslim man named Muhammad — not the Prophet — and aimed to highlight the suffering of Muslim civilians caught in conflict.
But anger spread rapidly. On Monday night, dozens of demonstrators affiliated with an Islamic group gathered outside LeMan’s Istanbul headquarters, throwing rocks at the building and clashing with police. Video of the protest showed windows shattered and officers forming a barricade to keep crowds back.
Prosecutors wasted little time launching a criminal inquiry into the publication on charges of “publicly insulting religious values.” The cartoon’s creator, Dogan Pehlevan, was the first to be detained Monday after police raided his home. Overnight, Editor-in-Chief Zafer Aknar, graphic designer Cebrail Okcu and business manager Ali Yavuz were also taken into custody, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Authorities issued arrest warrants for two other editors believed to have left Turkey.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya shared video footage of Pehlevan and Yavuz being led from their homes in handcuffs, describing the arrests as a necessary step to uphold respect for religion. “These shameless people will be held accountable before the law,” Yerlikaya wrote in a post on X.
Government-aligned media outlets, including the pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper, reported that the image was understood by many as a depiction of revered prophets and accused the magazine of deliberate provocation. The independent Birgun newspaper noted that interpretations of the cartoon varied but confirmed the winged figures were widely believed to reference Moses and Muhammad.
LeMan issued an apology late Monday to anyone offended by the drawing but also condemned what it called a targeted smear campaign. Editors said they expected authorities to protect freedom of expression as guaranteed under Turkish law.
The cartoon controversy has intensified a national debate over the boundaries of satire and religious sensitivity in a country where secular traditions coexist with deep Islamic faith. As investigations continue, the detained employees face possible prosecution under laws prohibiting insults against religious values — charges that can carry prison sentences in Turkey.
