New Court Decision on Fatih Altaylı’s YouTube Channel

Fatih Altaylı, born in 1962, is a Turkish journalist, columnist, TV presenter, and media manager. He has previously received the 'Education Contribution Honor Award' jointly awarded by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the European Journalists Federation. He is one of the best-known and most influential figures in Turkish journalism, known for his appearances on TV channels such as Habertürk TV as well as his charitable work. Altaylı is among the founders of the campaign "Let's Go to School Girls (Haydi Kızlar Okula),” which is conducted in cooperation with UNICEF and the Ministry of National Education (MEB) to promote girls’ education. Furthermore, he is one of the founding partners of the "Clean Internet" campaign, which aims to raise social awareness against online violence and child pornography.

On June 21, 2025, Altaylı was taken into custody and arrested the next day for allegedly “threatening the president” during a live stream on June 20. During the broadcast, Altaylı discussed a survey showing that 70% of people in Türkiye opposed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan remaining in office for life. He commented that “Turkish people love the ballot box. They want the power to be in their hands. They enjoy having the possibility of change, even if it is their father up there.” He went on to reference Turkish history under Ottoman rule, stating that the Turkish nation had “drowned its sultan when it was displeased, when it did not want him. The number of dead Ottoman Sultans who were assassinated, strangled, or made to appear as though they committed suicide is not a few.” Since Altaylı’s arrest, several political figures spoken out in his support and criticized Erdoğan’s regime for targeting journalists and, by extension, the Turkish nation.

A screenshot from the Youtube Video

Even while incarcerated, Altaylı’s YouTube channel remained active and continued attracting millions of monthly viewers. In order to protest the arrest, a video titled “Fatih Altaylı Can’t Comment (Fatih Altaylı Yorumlayamıyor)” was posted on June 23. The video, showing only Altaylı’s empty seat, began with a three-minute voiceover explaining his arrest, followed by a two-minute letter from the journalist. The final five minutes consisted of silence, with the empty chair remaining on screen. The simple video reached more than a million views in 12 hours before being taken down by the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) a couple of days later.

Following the incident, reports prepared by Marketing Türkiye and the Media Tracking Center (Medya Takip Merkezi) revealed that Altaylı became the most-watched journalist on YouTube Türkiye in July with 28 million views. Altaylı's channel gained 60,000 new subscribers, reaching an average of 634,000 views per video, 2.2 million likes, and 139,000 comments.

This surge in popularity alarmed the Istanbul Republic Prosecutor's Office, and prompted them to request the Istanbul 6th Criminal Court of Peace to ban access to Fatih Altaylı's YouTube channel and remove its content. The court based its 7 August dated decision on Article 8/A of Law No. 5651, which allows for content removal and access blocking on grounds such as protecting the right to life, national security, public order, crime prevention, and public health. The ruling cited “protecting national security and public order, and preventing crimes” as justification for the ban.

The Freedom of Expression Association announced that the decision had been communicated to internet service providers. In its statement, the association noted that YouTube had not yet made the channel inaccessible in Türkiye, so it remained available at that time.

Social media reactions were mixed. Some stated that the decision was “delayed but accurate,” claiming that while in prison Altaylı had “continued to spread false news and provocation.” Others criticized the government for “escalating the situation” and attempting to “silence opposing voices.” On the participatory dictionary Ekşi Sözlük, one user commented, “They are even afraid of the channel of a man in captivity, whom they imprisoned. They are now frightened by the echo of a voice they thought they silenced. You have been defeated by an empty chair.”

Whether one views the court’s actions as a necessary measure to protect public order or as a silencing attempt on critical voices, the decision raises broader questions over who shapes public discourse in Türkiye. As online spaces continue to wield influence, the balance between safeguarding national security and protecting freedom of expression remains unresolved in Turkish society.

Edited by: Leyla Hacıoğlu