First letter from Silivri after months: Fatih Altaylı explains why he threw the files after the verdict

Journalist Fatih Altaylı, who was detained following the targeting by Oktay Saral, chief advisor to AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was arrested on June 22 on charges of 'threatening the president' and sent to Silivri Prison.

Altaylı had taken a break from his YouTube broadcasts following the first hearing in October due to health reasons. During his second appearance in court on November 26, Altaylı was sentenced to 4 years and 2 months in prison, and his detention was ordered to continue on the grounds of flight risk.

After a long hiatus, Altaylı wrote a new letter from Silivri Prison, which was read on his YouTube channel program 'Fatih Altaylı YORUMLAYAMIYOR' (Fatih Altaylı CANNOT COMMENT).

In his letter, Altaylı described the events of the hearing day and explained why he threw the files in his hand into the air after the court's decision.

At the end of his letter, Altaylı reacted to the flight risk allegation against him, stating: “My only sorrow right now is the continuation of my detention due to flight risk. I am not distressed by being detained, but by being called a flight risk. If they exiled me from this country, I would find a way to return. What flight risk? Me? It is both shameful and funny.”

Altaylı's letter is as follows:

“On the evening of November 26, the news manager of Sözcü TV, Muratcan Altuntoprak, whom I admire greatly, explained the verdict hearing very well on the program of the valuable Gülşah İnce, whose knowledge and way of handling events I also admire. However, based on what was said in the courtroom and some social media posts, he said that I was shocked by the decision and that I had even packed my suitcase because I was sure of my release. My dear brother Muratcan should know and be sure that I had not packed my suitcase.

Anyway, suitcases are not allowed in prison. Those who are released carry their belongings in black trash bags. Frankly, instead of packing a suitcase, I had even placed my canteen orders that were delivered on Thursday. So much so that even the correctional officers, who thought I would be released by looking at similar past cases, were surprised by this order of mine. The lawyers who came to visit me were also sure that I would be released. Because a very famous lawyer I value highly had said, when I told him they wouldn't release me, that no one would dare to commit such lawlessness.

In my mind, the words of my classmate from Mektebi Sultani, Lawyer Coşkun Coşar, were echoing. Coşkun, who visited me frequently and brought messages from my school friends, had said the following after reading the prosecutor's opinion:

''My dear Fatih, I don't want to upset you, but this is what I see. Your referral to the criminal judgeship of peace, your indictment, and the prosecutor's opinion all came from the same hand. This shows that they have no intention of releasing you. Do not expect justice.''

I was not expecting it. That is why I had not packed my belongings, or as my brother Muratcan put it, I had not packed my suitcase. But I confess that I had cleaned my room from top to bottom. Because if I were wrong and was released, it would have taken me a few minutes to pack my things. I had no other belongings besides 3 shirts, 3 sweaters, 3-5 pieces of underwear, and 3 pairs of trousers, and it was easy to pack. But I might not have had enough time to clean the room. In such a case, I wanted to leave behind a room that was as spotless as possible.

“MY EYES FILLED WITH TEARS WHEN THE GENDARME SAID ‘I AM PRAYING FOR YOU’”

On the morning of November 26, I woke up at 6 as I do every morning. I had my breakfast and took my medication. I put on my suit around 8:30. I was taken from my room around 9:20. I was brought to the detention cell under the courtroom by the gendarmerie at 9:40. The area was quite crowded. I was put in a detention cell by myself, but in the other rooms next to me, there were young people brought for a case with over 100 defendants. As I passed by them, many of them shouted, ''Get well soon, Fatih brother.'' Their interesting haircuts were noteworthy. I learned that they were members of the Dalton gang. There, a gendarme said, ''Brother, I am fasting and I am praying for you,'' and my eyes filled with tears. After waiting in the detention cell for about an hour, I was taken to the courtroom.

I made a defense explaining the jurisprudence and precedent cases. My group of lawyers made a very good defense. In addition to Rezzan and Ömer, the defense of my dear brother Metin Sinan Aslan was a historic defense that was like a law lesson. Likewise, my friend, Bar Association President Erinç Sağkan, brought a logic of defense from a completely different perspective. In my opinion, the defense and the examples of jurisprudence were flawless, and in a country where there is even an ounce of justice, it should have brought an acquittal, and in a country without justice, at least a release.

However, the decision had already been made long ago. The heaviest possible sentence was given. The one-sixth reduction was not out of good will, but a conscious move to prevent me from going to the Court of Cassation. The decision surprised the legal experts, but as someone who knows Turkey, the Turkey of today, it saddened me but did not surprise me. Still, I must admit that the expectation of release from all my lawyers and those in prison had also made me hopeful, even if only a little, deep down. The possibility of reuniting with my daughter, my wife, and my loved ones was exciting. It didn't happen.

Since the verdict has not been written yet, I do not know how long I will stay in prison. In the meantime, I have the right to appeal to both a higher court and the regional court of appeal. My hope is low; it is clear that I will spend quite some time in a cold cell, sitting on a plastic chair. The feeling created by this unjust, unlawful, and unfair decision is very painful. It is a feeling of complete deception, of being betrayed by the one you trust the most. I hope that the murder of justice through me will be prevented by the regional court of justice and even by a higher court before that.

It is difficult, but it is a hope. I said just now that the murder of law and justice is like a feeling of deception; I am not saying this only for myself. I am sure that Tayfun Kahraman feels this much more heavily. Just think, the decision of the highest court, the Constitutional Court, which is recognized as the highest judicial body by the clear provision of the constitution, is not implemented, and the nation has not grasped the meaning of this. Do you know what this means? It means that none of the rights recognized by the constitution are under guarantee. This includes the right to property and all social rights. I think the situation there is more dire. When the first-instance court did not recognize the Constitutional Court's decision regarding Tayfun Kahraman, I could not hold back my tears.

"I DID NOT THROW JUSTICE TO THE GROUND, I THREW MY DEFENSE BECAUSE JUSTICE WAS THROWN TO THE GROUND"

As a result, let me say this, my dear brother. The sentence given to me is a grave injustice. Everyone agrees on this; there is no one who says the decision is correct. That was the reason why I threw the defense text and the jurisprudence decisions in my hand to the ground at the end of the hearing. I did not throw justice to the ground. I threw my defense to the ground because justice was thrown to the ground.

The sentence given to me is not legal, but political. Whoever the political authority behind this decision is, it doesn't interest me at all and it doesn't make me angry. A politician only thinks of his own interests. The duty to protect us against the politician, the duty to protect the public and the citizen, belongs to the judiciary. I am neither angry, nor hurt, nor furious at politics. But I am very angry and hurt by the judiciary. If those who made this decision truly believe that they acted in accordance with the law in good conscience and are at peace with this, then may the right they took from me be lawful to them. But if they were forced to sign a decision that they did not believe in and that did not have a place in their conscience, and thus condemned me to this, I hope that one day they will experience what they made me experience. That is, they will long for their loved ones.

Let me say this for everyone to keep in mind. Everything we do today will be a legacy for our children tomorrow. Let them never forget. And let me conclude this matter like this. No favor is worth a humiliating submission. If you are wondering what this man said, please look at a dictionary. There are proverbs, let this be a brother's word. Let me also say that the decision regarding me has demoralized everyone in Silivri and has completely withered their hopes for justice.”

Providing information about his health condition at the end of his letter, Altaylı noted the following:

“I have 4 stents, and because of this, regular check-ups are required. More seriously, I have a chronic condition called aortic dilation. My aorta has a diameter between my 5 stents and 4.7 stents. There is a risk of rupture, and the moment it ruptures, you die within minutes. It is the same condition that took the late Sırrı Süreyya Önder. That is why it is checked and measured twice a year. In addition to this, there is a 2-centimeter tumor in my meninges. That is also monitored regularly. In order for these check-ups of mine to be carried out, the health team of the Silivri No. 9 high-security prison, which consists of extremely good people, and the correctional officers responsible for health working with them, made my appointments at the neurology and cardiovascular clinics at Silivri State Hospital. I was taken to the hospital many times by gendarmerie teams who were as well-intentioned as they were.

First, my brain MRI was taken, then my cardiovascular tomographies. Then, upon necessity, my brain tomography and heart electrocardiography were taken, followed by my chest and abdominal ultrasound. Let me say for our viewers who are curious. The dilation in my aorta has not progressed; it is stable. There is no problem. However, there is some calcification in the vessel, and the condition of my aorta under the chest is similar. My neck vessels are fine.

When the doctor told me to come to the hospital quickly if I felt a rupture in my cardiovascular vessel, I laughed quite a bit. You can guess why I laughed. The meningioma in my brain has not grown much. I must say that there are very good doctors at Silivri State Hospital. I met four wonderful doctors. Likewise, there was a very good team in radiology. I thank them all.

While I was dealing with these, a while ago, while I was being taken out for sports in the open air, I sprained my ankle while playing ball alone on the artificial turf field and fell very badly. I hit my head on the miniature goalpost. I fractured my right hand. A large wound formed on my knee. The area between my knee and ankle turned purple. Of course, don't ask how I managed to do this. This is something only I could pull off. The friends in the correctional service, who were speechless with astonishment, thank God, took me to the infirmary immediately. At first, I said I was fine. After a few dressings, I returned to my room. But they came and checked on me every hour.

When my hand swelled up too much, I was referred to the Silivri Prison Campus Hospital. X-rays of my skull, neck, hand, and arm were taken. My hand was put in a cast, but I had the cast removed 3 days later because it prevented me from cooking, washing dishes, and cleaning. I am fine now. My knee is also healing slowly. The bruises have decreased, and even gone. But I had quite a bit of trouble for a while.”