"Altayli, who has more than 1.5 million subscribers on YouTube, in a country where the vast majority of media is considered sympathetic to the government, was commenting on a poll suggesting that around 70% of Turks opposed the idea of Erdogan being president for life. Erdogan has been president since 2014 and is in his third term, but he was prime minister for another 11 years prior to this, altering Turkey's constitution to place more power with the presidency prior to switching roles."
"In the clip, Altayli referenced Ottoman Empire history, noting how several sultans who were no longer wanted in power had been killed. "Look at the distant past: This is a nation that has strangled its sultans when it didn't like them or want them... There are many Ottoman sultans who were strangled, assassinated or allegedly committed suicide," the 63-year-old said. Erdogan's aide Oktay Saral said at the time that the comments had "gone too far.""
Fatih Altayli, an independent journalist with over 1.5 million YouTube subscribers, was sentenced to four years and two months in prison for comments deemed threatening to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The comments were made while commenting on a poll indicating around 70% of Turks opposed the idea of Erdogan as president for life. In a clip Altayli referenced Ottoman history, saying many sultans were strangled, assassinated or allegedly committed suicide. Erdogan's aide Oktay Saral said the comments "gone too far." The Istanbul court ordered Altayli to remain jailed. The conviction occurs amid a broader crackdown that included the jailing of opposition figure Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption charges he denies.
Read at www.dw.com
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