The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday called on Turkish authorities to release veteran journalist Fatih Altaylı pending his appeal after a court sentenced him to more than four years in prison for allegedly “threatening” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Altaylı, a prominent journalist and commentator, was detained on June 21 following a June 20 broadcast in which he commented on a poll showing that 70 percent of Turks opposed allowing President Erdoğan to remain in power for life. Referencing Ottoman history, he said the public had previously deposed or executed sultans they no longer accepted, remarks prosecutors interpreted as a threat under Article 299 of the penal code.
“Finding Fatih Altaylı guilty of threatening the president is not only a misguided verdict but an open call for self-censorship by the country’s entire news media,” said Özgür Öğret, CPJ’s Turkey representative. “Turkish authorities should immediately release Altaylı pending appeal and stop choking the flow of reporting and commentary in Turkey.”
Altaylı denied the charge against him, telling the court he was offering “historical context,” not issuing a threat. “In my 40 years as a journalist, I have never threatened anyone,” he said.
The ruling has also drawn condemnation from 64 bar associations across Turkey, who warned that the recent prosecutions and trials targeting opposition politicians, elected mayors and government critics have deepened concerns about the politicization of the judiciary.
CPJ said it had requested a comment from the chief prosecutor’s office but received no response.
According to Expression Interrupted, a press freedom monitoring group, 26 journalists are currently behind bars in Turkey. The country’s deteriorating media landscape was further pointed out in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), where it was ranked 159th out of 180 nations.
