Turkish journalist sentenced to over four years in prison for “threatening” Erdogan

A Turkish court sentenced veteran journalist Fatih Altayli to four years and two months in prison on Wednesday for indirect threats against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a broadcast on his YouTube channel, something he has always denied. The Istanbul court also decided to keep him in prison, considering that there is a risk of escape, despite the hope that he could be released after spending more than 150 days in pre-trial detention and not having any prior convictions. The journalist’s lawyers announced that they will file an appeal with the appeals court. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the journalist, 63, will have to remain in prison for another two years and two months.

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Altayli was arrested on June 22, after the prosecution accused him of “making threatening statements” about Erdogan. With a long career in management positions in Turkish media, Altayli became an influential commentator in recent years thanks to his YouTube channel, where he accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers. In the retransmission that led to his arrest, he commented on a survey about the possibility of Erdogan remaining in power for life and Altaylı argued that the Turkish electorate values the ballot box and, within a long reflection, mentioned the past of the Ottoman Empire. “Look at the past of this nation. I am not talking about the recent past, but the remote past. This is a nation that has strangled its sultan when it didn’t like him, when it didn’t want him. Some Ottoman sultans were murdered, executed, strangled, or made to look like they committed suicide,” he said. However, that fragment about Ottoman sultans who were assassinated or deposed due to popular rejection circulated on social media out of context and as if it were a threat to Erdogan by profiles affiliated with the Government. Presidential advisor Oktay Saral posted a message on social media addressed to Altayli: “Altaylıííí! Your water is starting to boil,” before the journalist was detained. Altayli has always denied having threatened the president and maintains that he only used a historical reference to emphasize that the Turkish people would never renounce their right to choose their leaders. During his closing argument, Altayli said he was surprised by the prosecutor’s request – who requested at least five years in prison – and argued that his words could not be interpreted as a threat. “Others who have said much harsher things were acquitted. It’s impossible for my words to scare the president… Why would he fear me? I don’t belong to any organization, I have never resorted to violence,” he stated.