The Turkish government's crackdown on the opposition continues, with waves of arrests and detentions targeting politicians, municipal officials, students, artists, and journalists.
The latest to be arrested and detained is one of the country’s most-watched journalists, Fatih Altaylı. Turkish authorities detained Altaylı on Sunday over comments he made on his YouTube channel that allegedly threatened President Tayyip Erdoğan.
Altaylı’s arrest followed remarks he made in a video posted on Friday about a recent poll showing that more than 70 percent of the public oppose a lifetime presidency for Erdoğan, who has been in power for over two decades.
“That figure is pretty much what I expected, because right now, apart from a significant portion of AKP voters and some MHP voters, no one would approve of such a thing,” Altaylı said, referring to the poll.
“Look at the history of this nation — and I’m not even talking about recent history, look at the distant past. This is a nation that has strangled its own sultans when they didn’t like them, when they didn’t want them. It's no small number — Ottoman sultans who were killed, fell victim to assassinations, were strangled, or made to look like they committed suicide.”
Altaylı’s remarks were widely circulated on social media by government supporters, often stripped of their original context, with many calling for his arrest. Among them was Oktay Saral, an advisor to President Erdoğan who has previously referred to him as the “Sultan,” saying, “Altaylı’s water was boiling.”
Hours later, Altaylı was arrested at his home in Istanbul’s Teşvikiye district.
In his statement to the police, Altaylı said, “My remarks have been distorted by some people to make them appear as though they contained a threat. I have never threatened anyone, and there is no threat directed at the President either.”
Altaylı was referred to the court by the prosecutor's office with a request for his arrest and was subsequently jailed by court order on Sunday.
Everyone knows what his real ‘crime’ is
Many critics believe the real reason for Fatih Altaylı’s detention is his widely followed daily political commentary, which attracts hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube each day.
In his broadcasts, Altaylı has been openly critical of the government's ongoing crackdown on the opposition.
Although President Erdoğan has consolidated control over more than 90 percent of Turkey’s mainstream media, his government and pro-government outlets have struggled to control the narrative surrounding the detention of his main political rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was taken into custody on March 19 over corruption allegations — charges he strongly denies.
According to a poll by research company PanoramaTR, a majority of the public believes the case against İmamoğlu is politically motivated.
Empty chair protest
In protest of Altaylı’s detention, his team posted a 10-minute video showing only his empty chair. The video quickly went viral, amassing half a million views and over 100,000 likes within hours — figures pro-government journalists can only dream of reaching.
Ongoing crackdown on the opposition
Officials from municipalities controlled by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) have faced waves of arrests this year, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. His detention in March over corruption allegations triggered nationwide protests, led primarily by university students. Many demonstrators were arrested, with some still remaining behind bars.
Fayn
While many view the cases as politically motivated, Erdoğan’s government insists that the judiciary is impartial and free from political influence.
