A regional court in Istanbul ordered the release of veteran journalist Fatih Altaylı on Dec. 29, following his imprisonment earlier this year for allegedly threatening President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a broadcast on his YouTube channel.
The court’s decision overturned a Nov. 26 ruling that sentenced the 63-year-old to four years and two months in prison. Altaylı was initially detained on June 22 after prosecutors launched an investigation into remarks made in one of his videos, claiming he used language that specifically targeted the president.
While Turkish law often allows for the suspension of prison sentences under five years, the court chose not to apply that discretion during the initial sentencing in November, leading to his incarceration.
Altaylı's YouTube program regularly attracts hundreds of thousands of viewers. While behind bars, he continued to produce content by sending letters to his production team. However, he officially paused the program in October following his first court hearing.
