📸⚖️ Journalist Fatih Altaylı Throws His Case Files in the Air After Receiving 4-Year Prison Sentence

In a dramatic moment captured in court, journalist Fatih Altaylı threw his defense documents into the air after being sentenced to 4 years and 2 months in prison on charges of “threatening the President.”The court also ordered the continuation of his detention, citing a “risk of flight” and the “insufficiency of judicial control.” Altaylı has already spent more than five months in Silivri Prison.

The case stems from a YouTube broadcast in which Altaylı commented on a poll asking whether the public wanted President Erdoğan to remain in office for life.While referencing Ottoman-era palace coups and assassinations, his remarks were interpreted by prosecutors as a “threat involving a physical attack.” Altaylı argues that his words were taken out of context, selectively edited, and misrepresented, and insists he had no intent to threaten, only to criticize.

During the hearing, both the prosecutor and President Erdoğan’s lawyer pushed for a conviction. Altaylı’s defense, however, cited multiple prior rulings in which even harsher statements were deemed not to constitute a threat. The verdict sparked strong reactions from journalists, politicians, and press freedom advocates, many of whom described it as politically motivated, unjust, and designed to intimidate critics. RSF’s Turkey representative called the decision “harsh, arbitrary, and intended to silence critical journalism.”

Altaylı’s YouTube channel has also faced pressure: RTÜK issued a licensing warning, and a court later ordered an access ban—though the platform has not yet enforced it. His lawyers say they will appeal the ruling.

PS: The photo that went viral online along with this news is AI-generated.