Prominent Turkish journalist Fatih Altaylı was arrested Sunday (June 22nd) over comments made in a video posted on his YouTube channel in which he allegedly threatened Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Altaylı’s arrest followed the June 19th arrest of Mehmet Pehlivan, lawyer of imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
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| Turkey: Mayor’s lawyer, prominent journalist among latest arrests |
In the video in question, Altaylı was faced with a question regarding the unpopularity among the Turkish public of the idea that President Erdoğan remain in office for life. Altaylı responded saying:
“Outside of the AKP [Justice & Development Party] and MHP [Nationalist Action Party] bases, no one would consent to the idea of him remaining in office for life. If we look at both the history of this nation, this is a nation that strangled their own sultan when they were dissatisfied with his performance. Numerous sultans exited office by being assassinated, having their throats cut, or committing suicide.”
In a statement made following his detention, Altaylı admitted to having made these remarks but defended himself saying his intention was only to reference Turkish history, not threaten President Erdoğan.
“It never even crossed by mind that these historical references could be interpreted as threats against the president,” said Altaylı in his statement.
On Sunday evening, it was reported that Altaylı had been transferred to Silivri Prison on the outskirts of Istanbul, where İmamoğlu is also being held.
On Monday, Turkey’s radio and television watchdog RTÜK announced it had given Altaylı’s YouTube channel a 72-hour notice to apply for an official license or else face a ban.
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| Turkey: Mayor’s lawyer, prominent journalist among latest arrests |
İmamoğlu’s lawyer imprisoned
Last week, imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan was detained after making a statement at a local courthouse. Pehlivan had been charged with ‘working on behalf of a criminal organization’. The charge relates to one of the five cases currently targeting İmamoğlu and other Istanbul municipal officials alleging they engaged in ‘the laundering criminal assets.’
Pehlivan had briefly been detained in late March on this charge but was released on bail following a statement and given a ban on international travel.
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The lawyer had also appeared as a guest on Fatih Altaylı’s YouTube channel for an interview in April.
Pehlivan is currently being held at the Çorlu Prison in Turkey’s European province of Tekirdağ.
Gökhan Günaydın, a member of parliament for Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), described the conditions of Pehlivan’s detention in a recent interview with Medyascope, saying:
“He was transferred to Çorlu Prison after midnight and his handcuffs were removed only for a quick health check. Now he’s being kept in a one-person cell. They are imposing isolation conditions on this prisoner under the pretense of security.”
Written/translated for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick
