In a ruling that has sent shockwaves through the Turkish media landscape, veteran journalist Fatih Altaylı was sentenced to 4 years and 2 months in prison on Wednesday by the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court. Altaylı, who appeared before the judge at the Silivri Prison complex, faced charges of "threatening the President" based on political analysis made during a YouTube broadcast. Despite defense arguments that his words were historical commentary rather than threats, the court not only convicted him but also ruled for the continuation of his detention, rejecting release pending appeal.
According to the T24 news site, the courtroom scene was volatile. Upon hearing the decision, a visibly angry Altaylı reportedly threw his case file and notes into the air before leaving the hall. The court justified the continued incarceration by stating that "judicial control provisions would be insufficient," a move that his legal team described as effectively turning the detention into an execution of the sentence before the appeals process is complete.
The charges stemmed from a program where Altaylı discussed a poll regarding lifetime presidencies. He had cited Ottoman history to argue that the Turkish public eventually rejects absolute authority, noting that "this nation has strangled its sultans" when displeased. While prosecutors argued this constituted a "threat of actual physical attack" and demanded a severe sentence, Altaylı maintained throughout the trial that he was a citizen discussing historical voting behaviors, not a member of a terrorist organization making threats.
"Intimidation of Journalists": Reactions Mount Against the Verdict
The verdict has triggered an immediate and fierce backlash from journalists, legal experts, and politicians, who characterize the ruling as a message of intimidation aimed at silencing dissent. T24 reports that the decision is widely viewed not as a legal act, but as a political maneuver.
Erinç Sağkan, President of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) and Altaylı’s lawyer, was blunt in his assessment: "This decision must be read as an act of intimidation against the entire press through Fatih Altaylı. There is no other explanation." Another defense lawyer, Metin Sinan Aslan, criticized the prosecution's logic, noting they had cited files regarding pilots who bombed the presidential complex during the 2016 coup attempt as precedent for Altaylı's verbal remarks. "What does this have to do with that file?" Aslan asked.
Prominent journalists expressed despair over the state of the judiciary. Murat Ağırel remarked, "To not lose your mind in this country, you have to be crazy," while Barış Pehlivan argued that the judicial system favors the corrupt over the critical: "If Fatih Altaylı were the child of an important bureaucrat, a drug lord, or a gold smuggler, he would not have been arrested."
Condemnation also came from political figures. CHP Vice Chair Gökçe Gökçen called the verdict a new stage in "cutting the breath of the people," while TİP Spokesperson Sera Kadıgil sarcastically noted that Altaylı’s only crime was "not being a palace lackey while being highly watched." Criticism even emerged from the ruling party’s circles; former AKP MP Şamil Tayyar warned that arresting figures like Altaylı casts a shadow over the government's stated goals of a "terror-free Turkey," emphasizing the need to expand freedoms rather than restrict them.
Photo: T24