Cartoonist Zehra Ömeroglu acquitted

From Cartooning for Peace.

After five long years of proceedings, punctuated by postponements, the Istanbul Court of First Instance finally ruled in favor of acquittal on Thursday, June 26.

The Turkish cartoonist was tried for “obscenity” for a cartoon published in LeMan magazine in 2020 and faced a prison sentence of six months to three years and a fine.

In the expert report dated March 5, 2025, it was declared that the work was protected by the Intellectual and Artistic Works Act. 

The Istanbul Court of First Instance ruled in agreement with this opinion and acquitted Zehra Ömeroğlu.

Cartooning for Peace welcomes the outcome of this trial, which highlights the need to combat the criminalization of press cartoonists.

The cartoon in question:

Sex and pandemic
Pfew! No loss of taste nor smell!