The center of Istanbul has been under police siege since Tuesday, after clashes with about 300 people in the Istiklal neighborhood, triggered after prosecutors accused Leman magazine of publishing a caricature of Muhammad.
The center of Istanbul was isolated by the police, a day after clashes that followed the arrests of Turkey’s Opposition Sitirical magazine Leman, accused of publishing a caricature of Muhammad.
The clashes took place on Monday night in the neighborhood of Istiklal, downtown Istanbul, following the announcement of the ordained detention against members of the Satirical Journal of the Oppositionaccused of have published the caricature that allegedly ridiculed the Prophet Muhammad.
Those responsible for the publication denied the accusation of the authorities.
According to news agency reporters this Tuesday Taksim Square and Istiklal Avenue, a popular commercial route of the city, are isolated by the authorities.
The governor of the city’s central district prohibited all concentrations in the area And it warned, in a statement, that other neighborhoods of Istanbul may be affected by the same measure.
Dozens attack Bar frequented by Leman magazine employees in Istanbul
On Monday, several dozens of persons attacked a bar frequented by Leman magazine employees The confrontations ended up involving about 300 people, according to an AFP journalist.
Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
However, six warrants were issued against writers and collaborators of the magazine who were accused of publishing a caricature that “openly offends religious values”.
Four of the accused, including the author of the caricature, were arrested, said the interior minister (equivalent of internal administration) there Yerlikaya.
“These shameless individuals will have to respond to the courts,” said Yerlikaya.
Leman denies religious insult: “It is not a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad”
Contacted by AFP, the magazine’s chief of writing, Tuncay Akgun, who was abroad, denied any religious offense.
“This drawing is not a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad”He said, arguing that the character is a dead Muslim in Gaza for Israelite bombings.
“They called him Muhammad. More than 200 million people in the Islamic world are called Muhammad”added the chief of writing.
“This is not related to the Prophet Muhammad. We would never run this risk”Insistiu AKGUN.
The drawing shows two “in the sky” figures on a city crushed by bombs: “Salam Aleykum (peace be with you), I’m Muhammad”says one of them, squeezing his hand to the other, who answers: “Alexkum Salam (may peace be with you), I am muse (Moses)”.
Through social networks, the magazine said that the caricaturist never intended to belittle the religious values of Islam.
RSF Erolo Onderoglu said the safety of cartoonists should now be the main concern of the authorities.
