On 26 November, the Turkish High Criminal Court sentenced journalist Fatih Altaylı to four years and two months in prison for allegedly “threatening” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a political commentary during a live YouTube broadcast. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has denounced “another alarming step in the ongoing erosion of press freedom in Türkiye” and calls for the journalist’s immediate release.
Prominent Turkish journalist and columnist Fatih Altaylı was arrested on 21 June 2025, just hours after a segment of his YouTube broadcast went viral on social media. In the video, Mr Altaylı offered his political analysis in response to a poll indicating that 70 per cent of the Turkish public would oppose a proposal to enable the Turkish president to remain in power indefinitely.
During his hearing, Mr Altaylı said: “There’s nothing the President would fear or perceive as a threat from my speech. I have no such influence.”
He was sentenced to four year and two months in prison by the Criminal court. Altaylı’s lawyers said they would appeal the decision.
The IFJ said: ‘The sentencing of Fatih Altaylı, a prominent, well respected journalist in Türkiye, represents yet another alarming step in the ongoing erosion of press freedom in the country. Journalists must be able to report, question and hold those in power to account without fear of retaliation. When the justice system is used to silence critical voices, it is ultimately the public that loses its right to be informed. We call for the immediate release of Fatih Altaylı and all journalists in jail.”
According to IFJ statistics, 21 journalists are currently imprisoned in Türkiye.
Source: IFJ
