Journalist Fatih Altaylı, who has been jailed for 104 days in Silivri Prison, appeared before a judge for the first time on Friday. The 27th High Criminal Court of Istanbul ruled to continue his detention. The next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 26.
Altaylı was arrested on June 22, 2025, over remarks made in a YouTube broadcast that prosecutors claim amounted to “threats” against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Prosecutors are seeking a minimum sentence of five years in prison.
High-profile attendance at the hearing
The hearing drew significant attention. Among those in attendance were Altaylı’s wife Hande Altaylı, daughter Zeynep Altaylı, former Galatasaray football club president Faruk Süren, academic Celal Şengör, historian Murat Bardakçı, main opposition CHP (Republican People’s Party) deputy chairpersons Burhanettin Bulut and Deniz Atalar, as well as Gökhan Durmuş, head of the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS).
“I’m not an opponent; I defend the freedom to dream”
Brought into the courtroom under gendarmerie escort, Altaylı began his defense statement by saying, “Welcome to our Silivri.” Referring to having spent the summer behind bars, he said, “I am not an opponent. I just defend the freedom to dream, the freedom to imagine differently.”
Altaylı argued that the charges against him were based on a selective and misleading excerpt from his full remarks:
“I was targeted online over 15–20 seconds taken from a 2.5-minute speech. Anyone who watches the full speech can see I had no intent to threaten anyone.”
Turkish Bar Association president calls case “a legal disgrace”
Speaking outside the prison after the hearing, Turkish Bar Association (TBB) President Erinç Sağkan strongly criticized the court’s decision:
“The only piece of evidence in the case file is the transcript of a three-minute speech. As lawyers, we were in full agreement that release was necessary. But the court unlawfully ruled to keep him in detention. This means Fatih Altaylı, who has already been jailed for 104 days, will remain in prison for at least another 45 days.”
“White shirt” and “holiday spirit” in a prison letter
Ahead of the hearing, Altaylı had sent a letter from prison describing how he washed his white shirt and asked guards for his ties in preparation. He also wrote about the earlier release of talent agent Ayşe Barım, describing a “holiday atmosphere” in Silivri and saying he cried from happiness. However, Barım was later re-arrested following a prosecutor’s objection.
