Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced a cartoon published by satirical magazine Leman as a "vile provocation" and "Islamophobic hate crime," vowing legal action against those who "show disrespect to our Prophet and other prophets". His remarks followed the arrests of four Leman staff, including cartoonist Dogan Pehlevan, who were detained in nighttime raids where officers handcuffed and dragged the suspects as shared in videos by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. Yerlikaya declared the cartoonist and colleagues "shameless people" who would face justice under penal codes criminalizing incitement to hatred.
Leman apologized to offended readers but insisted the cartoon was misinterpreted, clarifying it depicted a Muslim civilian named Muhammad (a common name) killed in Israeli attacks and not the Prophet Muhammad. The magazine stated the artwork aimed to highlight "the suffering of a Muslim man killed by Israel" and contained "no intent to insult Islam". Editor-in-chief Tuncay Akgun, speaking from Paris, emphasized they "would never take such a risk" as depicting prophets, calling the controversy a deliberate smear campaign requiring state protection of free expression.
Over 200 protesters defied Istanbul gathering bans and heavy police presence, rallying against Leman near its offices. Demonstrator Muhammed Emin Necipsoy dismissed the magazine’s defense as insincere, noting "subtle emphasis" on the prophets. Simultaneously, prosecutors launched a financial crimes probe into Leman's publisher, investigating potential foreign funding links to the cartoon. Authorities confiscated all copies of the June 26 issue and sought arrests for two editors abroad.