Istanbul, Oct 3 (AP) An imprisoned Turkish journalist appeared in court on Friday to face charges of threatening President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a case that many critics argue is meant to suppress a significant dissenting voice against the government.
Fatih Altayli, a seasoned journalist with a YouTube program that garners hundreds of thousands of daily views, was detained from his home in June. He is accused of issuing and spreading a threat against the president, with a conviction carrying a minimum sentence of five years. Altayli, 63, denies any wrongdoing.
The allegations are linked to comments he made on his show, “Fatih Altayli Comments,” which followed a poll suggesting over 70% of the public opposed lifetime presidency for Erdogan, who has led the country for more than twenty years.
On his program, Altayli remarked that he wasn’t surprised by the poll results, adding that the Turkish populace favors checks on power.
“Look at the history of this nation,” he stated. “This is a nation which strangled its sultan when they didn't like him or want him. There are quite a few Ottoman sultans who were assassinated, strangled, or whose deaths were made to look like suicide.”
During the opening hearing, Altayli refuted the charges, asserting his longstanding support for the vulnerable and clarifying he did not intend to make a threat. He urged the judges to review his broadcast.
“In the more than 40 years of my professional life - and throughout my entire life - I have never threatened a single person, whether weaker or stronger than me,” the Sozcu newspaper quoted Altayli addressing the judges. “On the contrary, I have always been the one threatened.”
The court denied a petition from Altayli’s lawyers to release him from custody while the trial proceeds, and postponed the case to Nov. 26.
Despite being incarcerated, Altayli, a journalist, columnist, and television presenter with a career spanning decades, continues to offer news and political commentary on his YouTube channel. This is achieved through letters relayed by his lawyers and read out by his assistant.
In a media landscape where the majority is owned by pro-government entities or directly controlled by authorities, YouTube has become a refuge for independent journalists seeking to report unfiltered news.
The Turkish Journalists Syndicate reports that, alongside Altayli, a total of 17 journalists and media workers are currently imprisoned. The government maintains these journalists are prosecuted for criminal offenses rather than their journalistic endeavors. (AP) SKS SKS SKS
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