伊斯坦布尔一家法院于9月28日周一裁定土耳其知名喜剧演员侮辱总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安及另一项罪名成立，但下令在上诉期间将其临时释放，法新社一名在庭审现场的记者报道。
An Istanbul court convicted a popular Turkish comedian on Monday, September 28, of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and another offense but ordered his interim release pending appeal, an Agence France-Presse reporter in the courtroom said.
在充满活力的开庭环节中，32岁的德尼兹·格克塔什进行了机智的自我辩护，令法庭上许多人忍俊不禁。随后，法官裁定其两项罪名成立，判处其略超过19个月的监禁。但在判决最终生效之前——这需要上诉法院审查后才能确定——法官下令将其释放。目前尚不清楚这一过程需要多长时间。
Following a lively opening session in which Deniz Goktas, 32, offered a quick-witted defense that had much of the courtroom in stitches, the judge convicted him on two charges, sentencing him to just over 19 months' prison. But until the sentence is finalized, which only happens after it is reviewed by an appeals court, the judge ordered his release.
格克塔什以其冷面幽默和政治讽刺著称。自7月3日被捕以来，他已在卡拉特佩高度戒备监狱度过了近三个月。被捕前一周，他名为《死海》的演出视频在YouTube上疯传，观看量达到900万次。
It was not immediately clear how long the process would take. Known for his dry wit and political satire, Goktas has spent nearly three months in Karatepe high-security prison since his arrest on July 3, a week after a YouTube video of his "Dead Sea" show went viral, reaching nine million views.
格克塔什因侮辱埃尔多安、煽动公众仇恨以及赞扬犯罪和罪犯而受审。据该记者报道，法官裁定其第一项罪名成立，随后将第二项罪名改为“侮辱宗教价值观”并据此定罪，同时宣告第三项罪名不成立。
Goktas went on trial for insulting Erdogan, incitement to public hatred and praising crime and criminals. The judge convicted Goktas on the first charge. He then amended the second charge to "insulting religious values" and convicted him of that too, while acquitting him on charge three, the correspondent said.
庭审开始时，格克塔什走上被告席，展开了一场充满政治讽刺的辩护，妙语连珠，令法庭上不时爆发出阵阵笑声。“开不起玩笑”在起诉书中，检察官特别指出他称埃尔多安为“害羞的独裁者”的一句话，但格克塔什坚称其中“不存在犯罪元素”。“独裁者不是侮辱：这是一种政治定性，”他说。
When the hearing opened, Goktas took to the stand to weave a defense rich in political satire, making witty observations that frequently had the courtroom in fits of laughter. 'Can't take a joke' In the indictment, prosecutors singled out a line in which he called Erdogan "a shy dictator" but Goktas insisted there was "no criminal element" there. "Dictator is not an insult: It is a political characterization," he said.
“作为总统以及执政25年的政党领袖，一场从不提及埃尔多安名字的政治喜剧秀既不真诚，也与现实毫无关联，”他辩称。“埃尔多安应该对讽刺艺术持开放态度，”他说，同时否认了对他的所有指控。
"As the president and leader of the party that has ruled the country for 25 years, a political comedy show in which Erdogan's name is never mentioned would be neither sincere nor have any connection to reality," he reasoned. "Erdogan should be open to the art of satire," he said, denying the charges against him.
格克塔斯继续说道，过去，当“这类批评被社会当权者接受的程度远高于今天”时，土耳其最著名的喜剧演员或政治讽刺作家都没有被起诉过。“自那时以来，保护言论自由的法律没有改变。但今天，一名喜剧演员坐在牢房里。笑话没有改变。改变的是越来越脆弱的领导层，他们再也无法容忍这个笑话。”观众中有几名来自伊斯坦布尔TuzBiber喜剧俱乐部的喜剧演员，据报道，格克塔斯于2019年在该俱乐部开始了他的职业生涯，还有来自荷兰和美国大使馆的观察员。
None of Turkey's most famous comedians or political satirists had been prosecuted in the past, when "these kinds of criticisms were received much more positively... by society and those in power than they are today," Goktas continued. "The laws protecting freedom of expression have not changed since that time. But today, a comedian is sitting in a cell. The joke hasn't changed. What has changed is the increasingly fragile leadership that can no longer tolerate the joke." Among the audience were several comedians from Istanbul's TuzBiber comedy club, where Goktas reportedly began his career in 2019, alongside observers from the Dutch and US embassies.
格克塔斯在法庭上表示，幽默是土耳其文化中延续了几个世纪的一部分，因此“当涉及到舞台上的艺术家时，不应该有审查、禁令或拘留的余地”。他请求被无罪释放。他说：“我的生命被夺走了三个月。我戒烟了，所以无论如何我会在生命的尽头加上三个月。”他离开证人席时，引来笑声和热烈掌声。
Humor, Goktas told the court, was a centuries-old part of Turkish culture, so there should be "no place for censorship, bans or detention when it comes to artists on the stage." He asked to be acquitted and released. "Three months have been taken away from my life. I quit smoking, so I'll add three months to the end of my life anyway," he said, drawing laughter and loud applause as he left the stand.
格克塔斯被捕是土耳其对任何被视为批评其伊斯兰保守政府或其价值观的人进行日益扩大的镇压的最新一起事件。这场镇压已经抓捕了数百人，包括政治家、艺术家、音乐家、记者和LGBTQ活动人士。
Goktas's arrest was the latest in a widening crackdown on anyone seen as critical of Turkey's Islamo-conservative government or its values. The crackdown has netted hundreds of people, including politicians, artists, musicians, journalists and LGBTQ activists.
在法庭外的大雨中，约50名抗议者聚集在一起，高呼：“德尼兹·格克塔斯并不孤单！”
In the pouring rain outside the court, around 50 protesters gathered, chanting: "Deniz Goktas is not alone!"