Behind bars but not silenced: Veteran Turkish columnist perseveres through 'prison journalism'

ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkish journalist Fatih Altayli has been imprisoned, but his reporting remains defiantly alive.From behind bars, the veteran journalist delivers news and sharp political commentary on his YouTube channel through letters relayed by his lawyers.The letters are read aloud by an assistant in an initiative Altayli's peers have dubbed “prison journalism.”“Fatih Altayli has launched a new form of journalism: prison journalism,” fellow journalist Murat Yetkin, wrote on his news website, Yetkin Report.

“Drawing on visits from legislators, letters, and his lawyers — he continues his journalism uninterrupted, conveying not only information from inside but also insights about the outside world.”Altayli, whose YouTube program attracts hundreds of thousands of views daily, was arrested in June on charges of threatening President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an accusation he strongly denies.Critics say his arrest, which comes amid a deepening crackdown on the opposition, was aimed at silencing a government critic.Prosecutors accuse Altayli of issuing and publicly disseminating a threat, a criminal charge under Turkish penal law, and are seeking a minimum five-year prison sentence.

The first hearing of the trial is set for Friday.The charges stem from a comment he made on his YouTube program, “Fatih Altayli Comments,” following a recent poll that reportedly showed more than 70% of the public opposed a lifetime presidency for Erdogan, who has been in power for more than two decades.On the show, Altayli said he wasn’t surprised by the results of the poll and that the Turkish people preferred checks on authority.“Look at the history of this nation,” he said.

“This is a nation which strangled its sultan when they didn’t like him or want him.There are quite a few Ottoman sultans who were assassinated, strangled, or whose deaths were made to look like suicide.”The 63-year-old journalist, columnist and television presenter whose career spans d...