Altaylı was imprisoned pending trial on 22 June on the charge of “threatening the president” over comments he made during a broadcast on his YouTube channel

CANSU PİŞKİN, İSTANBUL

The indictment filed against journalist Fatih Altaylı on the charge of “threatening the president” was accepted by the İstanbul 26th High Criminal Court. The first hearing will take place in Courtroom No. 2 opposite the Marmara Prison Complex on 3 October 2025.

Altaylı was detained on 21 June 2025, over statements he made during a broadcast on his YouTube channel on 20 June and was imprisoned pending trial on 22 June. During the investigation, Altaylı denied the charges, stating that his words were not intended as a threat and that he was emphasizing the importance of the right to choose by referring to a historical example.

The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, which completed the indictment against Altaylı on 17 July, assessed the statements made by the journalist on the program as “threats against the president.” The indictment alleged that Altaylı “committed the crime of making threats by stating that an attack would be carried out against the president's life.”

The indictment also stated that the video in question was published openly to the public through the press and media, and that after it was shared, it reached a wide audience, suggesting that the act was committed with the intent to disseminate.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who filed a complaint against Altaylı through his lawyer, was also listed as a “plaintiff” in the indictment.