Following the investigation launched into the cartoon in the June 26 issue of LeMan magazine, which allegedly referenced the Prophet Muhammad and the Prophet Moses, new censorship decisions were taken against the magazine.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered the issue to be confiscated, while the Istanbul 5th Criminal Judicature of Peace blocked access to the magazine’s website and its account on social media platform X. The decision was taken on the grounds of “protection of national security and public order” in accordance with Article 8/A of Law No. 5651.
Following the decision, the X account of LeMan, which has approximately 600 thousand followers, was also made inaccessible from Turkey. Prof. Dr. Yaman Akdeniz from the Association for Freedom of Expression described the decision as “extrajudicial execution”.
The controversial cartoon depicted two figures, Moses and Muhammad, greeting each other by saying “Peace be upon you” and “Peace be upon you” against the backdrop of a bombed city. After the cartoon spread on social media, radical groups targeted LeMan. During the attack on the magazine’s building in Beyoğlu, slogans such as “Down with secularism” and “Kemalist dogs will be held accountable” were shouted.
The Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into the cartoon on the charge of “publicly insulting religious values”. The cartoonist and other executives of the magazine were detained.
July 01, 2025
Bianet