Overview
- A court convicted Altayli and handed down a four-year, two-month sentence, ordering he remain in custody during his appeal.
- Altayli was arrested on June 21 after a video discussing a survey that reportedly showed strong opposition to a lifetime presidency for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
- Prosecutors focused on his reference to Ottoman sultans being strangled or assassinated, which he said was historical context rather than a threat.
- Reporters Without Borders condemned the ruling as an intimidation of journalists, noting Turkey’s press freedom ranking of 159th out of 180 countries.
- His YouTube program was suspended after the first hearing, and the Turkish Journalists Syndicate says 11 media workers are currently jailed in Turkey.