Earlier today an Istanbul appeal court upheld last summer’s acquittal of Zehra Ömeroğlu, the former contributor to LeMan magazine accused of “obscenity” over a 2020 cartoon, whose protracted and stressful trial led to her receiving our Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award in 2025.
Long-time readers will recall the joy that ensued when she was first cleared in June last year, followed by sadness as an appeal was swiftly lodged by prosecutors amid a febrile atmosphere, with LeMan becoming the target of a further and unrelated criminal trial (still ongoing).
The news comes in the same month as Ömeroğlu’s autobio graphic novel Smells Like Censorship is published in Germany, with further translations and releases to be announced in 2027.
“It is my sincere hope that this sorry chapter in Zehra’s life is now well and truly over, and that she can get on with the career that was so grievously disrupted when this entirely wrong-headed and – very frankly – misogynistic prosecution was first filed. Everyone at CARTOONISTS RIGHTS wishes her great success going forward.”
Terry Anderson, Executive Director
