Turkish court arrests prominent journalist for allegedly threatening Erdogan, NTV reports

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ANKARA (Reuters) -A Turkish court arrested prominent independent journalist Fatih Altayli over comments on his social media allegedly threatening President Tayyip Erdogan, broadcaster NTV and others reported on Sunday.

Altayli, who has more than 1.5 million YouTube subscribers, was detained on Saturday over comments in a video he posted on Friday in which he addressed a poll showing most Turks opposed Erdogan ruling for life.

Altayli referenced Ottoman rulers, saying Turks had “killed” or “drowned” some they no longer wanted in power.

Prosecutors in Istanbul later said the remarks “contained threats” against the president and launched an investigation.

NTV said that in his defence to the court, Altayli denied threatening Erdogan, quoting him as saying that his remarks were taken out of context and made to appear like threats, even though they were simply part of rhetorical historical discussions.

The development comes amid a series of detentions of opposition figures in recent months, including the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu – Erdogan’s main political rival – in March. The main opposition CHP and some Western countries have called the crackdown a politicised move to eliminate electoral challenges to Erdogan.

The government denies these claims, saying the judiciary and Turkey’s courts are independent.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; editing by Clelia Oziel)