11.07.2025 15:50
As part of the investigation into the publication of a cartoon featuring caricatured images of Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses in Leman Magazine, the fugitive editor-in-chief Aslan Özdemir was captured and taken into custody at the apron of Istanbul Airport.
The investigation initiated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the publication of cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses in Leman magazine is ongoing.
In connection with the cartoon published in the June 26, 2025 issue of Leman magazine, the investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on the grounds of publicly insulting religious values has led to the arrest of the institution's director Ali Yavuz, graphic designer Cebrail Okcu, cartoon owner Doğan Pehlevan, and editor-in-chief Zafer Aknar by the duty magistrate court.
TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AT THE APRON
As a result of the operations, the editor-in-chief Aslan Özdemir, who was determined to be abroad, was taken into custody at Istanbul Airport while disembarking from a Turkish Airlines flight arriving from Marseille.
AN ARREST WARRANT HAD BEEN ISSUED
Within the scope of the investigation, it was determined that the editor-in-chief Aslan Özdemir, who had an arrest warrant against him and was identified to be abroad, would enter Turkey from Istanbul Airport. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had instructed the Provincial Security Directorate to capture Özdemir for the purpose of taking his statement.