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Prominent Turkish journalist Fatih Altayli appeared in court for the second time on Wednesday, facing charges of "threatening the president" over comments made on his YouTube broadcast.
He was sentenced on Wednesday to four years and two months in prison at the second hearing of his trial.
Altayli had been held in the Marmara Prison in Silivri since June 22. Prosecutors at the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court had requested a prison sentence of "not less than five years" for the journalist.
At the first hearing on Oct. 3, no verdict was issued, and the trial was adjourned to Nov. 27.
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The hearing drew significant attention from the media and academic community. Altayli's longtime co-hosts, professors Celal Sengor and Murat Bardakci, attended the session to show support, alongside well-known journalists including Rusen Cakir, Murat Agirel, Baris Pehlivan, Baris Terkoglu, Sule Aydin and Timur Soykan.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s lawyer was also present at the hearing. Both the public prosecutor and the president’s legal representative demanded Altayli's conviction.
During Wednesday’s session, the judge stated that the prosecutor had submitted a final opinion between hearings. The prosecutor reiterated the request for Altayli to receive no less than five years in prison under the same charge.
The court ultimately sentenced Altayli to four years and two months in prison. His pretrial detention will continue.
The investigation stemmed from comments Altayli made during a broadcast on June 20 regarding historical context.
"This nation is a nation that strangled its padishah when it did not like him or want him. The number of Ottoman padishahs killed, assassinated, or strangled under the guise of suicide is not few," Altayli had said.
These remarks led to the investigation into charges of threatening the president.
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