Stand-up comic released after being convicted of insulting Erdoğan

During his court appearance on Monday, it was clear he did not lose his sense of humour during his 88 days in solitary confinement."Three months have been taken away from my life," he said on the stand. "But I quit smoking, so I'll add another three months to my life." That drew laughter and loud applause in court.Outside, supporters like Firat Aksal – a fellow comedian – were very pleasantly surprised by the verdict. "We hardly know what to do with our happiness," he said. "We are thrilled. To be honest we weren't hopeful of getting a fair trial. "Göktaş was released at 21:45 local time (18:45 GMT) and greeted by well-wishers, including his parents who he was seen hugging, outside a prison facility.Aksal said Göktaş would now rest for a few days, and see his family, and then return to the stage.Many others remain behind bars, including journalists, human rights campaigners, student protesters, LGBTQ activists, and the elected Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu. Prisons are full in Turkey these days.