ISTANBUL — Four staff members of Turkish satirical magazine LeMan were remanded Wednesday over a cartoon allegedly depicting the Prophet Muhammad, in a move condemned as a crackdown on press freedom.

The staff denied the cartoon referenced the prophet, saying it showed two war victims named Muhammed and Musa meeting in the afterlife to critique the absurdity of war. The cartoonist, Dogan Pehlevan, called the accusations false and said he never mocks religion.

The arrests followed clashes in Istanbul and attacks on the magazine’s offices. President Erdogan called the cartoon a “hate crime” and vowed accountability.

Media unions and watchdogs including Reporters Without Borders decried the arrests as politically motivated intimidation and demanded the release of the staff.

LeMan’s editor insisted the character was simply a Muslim victim of war, noting “Muhammed” is a common name. Protesters likened the backlash to past Islamist violence against writers and artists in Turkey.