Journalist Fatih Altaylı, imprisoned in Silivri, speaks to 12punto: I am not a hero, I do not want a mission imposed on me

Journalist Fatih Altaylı, who was detained on the grounds that he made threatening remarks targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on his YouTube channel, was arrested for the crime of "threatening the President."

In this period when journalists are being deprived of their freedom and kept in prison for months without even an indictment being written, the arrest of Fatih Altaylı and his placement in Marmara Prison in Silivri was interpreted as the government being disturbed by some important truths he brought to the screen and seeking to silence him, and it continues to be interpreted that way.

Presidential Chief Advisor Oktay Saral, in a post he shared on his X account, quoted a 36-second segment from a video Altaylı had posted on his YouTube account and added the following note: "Altaylı! Your water is starting to heat up."

In the video in question, Altaylı had commented on a poll in which 70 percent of people in Turkey said no to AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan "remaining in power for life," and had used the following expressions:

"Right now, apart from a significant portion of AKP voters and a portion of MHP voters, no one would approve of such a thing. Look at the history of this nation, look at its distant past. This nation is a nation that has strangled its sultans when it did not like them or did not want them. It is not a small number of Ottoman sultans who were killed or assassinated."

Whatever happened, it developed after Saral's threatening post that targeted him. Altaylı was detained on the evening of Saturday, June 21, and was referred to the Istanbul Courthouse on June 22, 2025, where he was arrested. Altaylı, who gave his statement at the investigation prosecutor's office accompanied by his two lawyers, lost his freedom even though he tried as much as possible to explain that he had no intention of threatening or insulting the President.

JOURNALISTS UNDER PRESSURE

Unfortunately, it is not only Fatih Altaylı; many journalists have recently been facing judicial pressure following organized lynching campaigns launched on social media. While the judiciary being directed by social media pressure and by names writing for some media outlets close to the government is an unacceptable situation in terms of the principle of an independent judiciary, it also poses a great threat to journalists.

The duty of the judiciary is not to punish thought, but to protect fundamental rights and freedoms. Expressing opinions and journalism are not crimes. Criticism is the foundation of democracy. The suppression of criticism and ideas, however, is a sign of authoritarianism.

While Turkey is going through exactly such a period, 12punto spoke with Fatih Altaylı, who is being held from his freedom in Silivri.

Making assessments to 12punto's lawyer Sıla Gürkan, Altaylı underlined that his only goal was to practice journalism. Stating that he would continue to speak what he knows to be true after regaining his freedom, Altaylı emphasized that prison conditions are difficult and exhausting.

Altaylı, who made important statements to 12punto regarding the process and his experiences, said the following:

"The reaction I received from the outside that pleased me the least is the imposition of a responsibility or a mission on me when I get out of here, and the expectations people have of me. But I am not a hero or anything; I do not want to take on such a responsibility, nor do I want anyone to impose such a responsibility on me."

"The prison process changes a person, and it has made me a calmer person too. I am normally a more angry, irritable man. But during the time I have been here, I have become a calm person. I am not angry at anyone, neither those who sent me here nor those who caused me to be here. I no longer feel anger in any way. My anger is toward the system."

"The comment made about me that I dislike the most is 'opposition'... I am at the heart of the center. I am a journalist, and I write and say what I know to be true. I cannot make sense of why I am in prison or why I have been targeted."

"I read a lot of books. I have read around 32 books. We are not just away from our loved ones here. This is an environment of deprivation."

"I did not commit a crime. I am here unjustly. I expect to get out of here after the hearing in October. I think I will be released at the latest in November."

"It is difficult to spend days alone in a small cell without talking to anyone. A person wants to have a chat with their friends. You cannot exercise; you go out to an area and walk alone, that is all. Yes, I try to adapt the place I am in to my life as much as I can. I clean this small area and garden I live in with the rose soap and water I get from the prison, I sweep it every day, I iron my shirts and sheets with the means I have. But the fact that I live like this, that I haven't lost 20 kilos, does not change the fact that prison conditions are bad, that I am in prison, and that I am being punished unjustly."

"We provide scholarships to students. The income from the YouTube channel is spent entirely on scholarships. My biggest concern is that the students we provide scholarships to will suffer a loss. That the employees' salaries are paid."

"When I regain my freedom, I will continue on the same path. What I do is say what I know to be true. What I do consists of nothing more than honest journalism. I am not tied to an ideology; I am a journalist."