The fifth hearing in the case against Doğan Pehlevan, a cartoonist for LeMan magazine, who faces the charge of “insulting the president” over posts made from a social media account allegedly belonging to him, was held at the 36th Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance on 6 October 2026.
Pehlevan was not present at the hearing, but his lawyers were in attendance. The lawyer representing the plaintiff, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, did not attend the hearing.
The prosecutor, reiterating their final opinion on the case they had presented at the previous hearing, argued that the offense had been proven and requested that Pehlevan be punished for the impugned crime.
Pehlevan’s lawyer took the floor to state that the source investigation report in the indictment was irregular and could not be accepted as evidence. The lawyer stated that the X account from which the post in question was made did not belong to Pehlevan and that this had not been proven. Furthermore, he argued that even if the post were assumed to belong to his client, it did not contain any insult, and requested his client’s acquittal in accordance with the principle that “the benefit of the doubt goes to the defendant.”
Pehlevan’s lawyer also referred to the interim ruling dated 24 March 2026 regarding a letter sent to the Cybercrime Unit. In that letter, an open-source investigation into the post in question—which contained “insults against the president” and was made from Pehlevan’s personal X account—had been requested. The lawyer noted that this response had not been included in the case file and requested that the requirements of the interim ruling be fulfilled.
Samet Fidan, another of Pehlevan’s lawyers, meanwhile, highlighted the current state of evidence in the case file, stating: “It has not been confirmed whether the account belongs to our client. It is not possible to impose a sentence based on irregular evidence,” and requested his client’s acquittal.
The court sentenced Pehlevan to 11 months and 20 days in prison on the grounds that the elements of the impugned crime had been established. The sentence was deferred.
Background of the case
Cartoonist Doğan Pehlevan was detained on 30 June after a cartoon he published in the 26 June 2025 issue of LeMan magazine circulated on social media. Along with Pehlevan, the magazine’s managing editor Zafer Aknar, editor Aslan Özdemir, graphic designer Cebrail Okçu, and facility manager Ali Yavuz were also detained during a police raid on their homes and taken to the police station.
While Pehlevan was in custody, the Cybercrime Department filed an investigation report. The report, dated 1 July 2025, stated that a post made on 1 July 2019, from an X account allegedly belonging to Pehlevan, with the username “@doganpehlevan,” was found to constitute “insulting the president.”
After being questioned by the prosecutor on 2 July, Pehlevan was referred to the duty magistrate’s court with a request for his imprisonment on charges of “inciting the people to hatred and hostility” and “insulting the president.” Pehlevan was sent to pre-trial detention for both charges by decision of the İstanbul 5th Criminal Judgeship of Peace.
Two separate cases were opened against Pehlevan. The first hearing in the case opened on the charge of “insulting the president” was held on 11 November. Although Pehlevan said that the account from which the post in question was made did not belong to him, the court decided to continue his detention, “taking into account the current evidence.”
In the first hearing in the case filed for “inciting the people to hatred and hostility,” held on 14 November, a release decision was issued for Pehlevan.
Pehlevan was released pending trial at the end of the second hearing held in trial in which he was charged with “insulting the president” on 18 November 2025.
