Turkish Comedian Convicted Over Erdoğan Jokes

A Turkish court convicted comedian Deniz Göktaş of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and a speech-related offense over jokes in his stand-up show that spread widely online. The 32-year-old was sentenced to about 19 months in prison but released after 88 days in pretrial detention; reports said he could appeal. Prosecutors had also accused him of praising crime and criminals, citing a joke about an organized crime group. The case drew supporters to the courthouse and renewed concerns about Turkey’s prosecution of artists and others over speech critical of the government or religious values.