Turkey: Comedian faces jail for joking about Erdogan
Part of composite article Turkey Cracks Down on Dissent: Comedians, Activists, and Sick Prisoners Face Courts as 29 Cases Clear African Human Rights Body View full article →
A Turkish comedian is on trial for jokes he told about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Islam.
Deniz Goktas is accused of "insulting" the president, "praising" crime and criminals, and "inciting hatred and hostility."
Turkey is officially a secular country, meaning religion and government are separate. It also has laws meant to protect free speech. But critics say those laws are often used to punish people who question the government or Islam.