22.06.2025 21:10
The Minister of Justice, Yılmaz Tunç, made a statement following the arrest of journalist Fatih Altaylı on charges of threatening and insulting the President. In his statement, Tunç said, "As a requirement of the rule of law, no one has the right to make statements that contain insults and threats towards our President with ugly and inappropriate expressions like dictatorship."
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç stated, "As a requirement of the rule of law, no one has the right to insult and threaten our President with ugly and inappropriate expressions such as dictatorship."
Journalist Fatih Altaylı was detained in the investigation initiated for "threatening and insulting the President" due to statements he made on his own YouTube channel.
FATIH ALTAYLI ARRESTED
As part of the investigation, he was referred to the Duty Magistrate's Court with a request for 'arrest'. Altaylı was arrested by the court he was brought before.
"UNACCEPTABLE"
Following Altaylı's arrest, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç made a statement on his social media account. Minister Tunç stated in a social media broadcast that the unfounded claim of "lifetime presidency," which is completely fabricated, and the slander of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a "dictator" is absolutely unacceptable, as it constitutes a black propaganda filled with insults and calls for violence, far from historical reality, using false and incorrect examples.
"THREAT CANNOT BE LEGITIMIZED BY HIDING BEHIND JOURNALISM"
Emphasizing that insults and threats cannot be evaluated within the scope of freedom of thought and expression in any democratic legal order, Tunç noted the following:
"Freedom of expression cannot be a pretext for attacks targeting personal rights, public order, the values of our nation, and the constitutional institutions of the state. As a requirement of the rule of law, no one has the right to insult and threaten our President with ugly and inappropriate expressions such as dictatorship. Threats and insults cannot be legitimized by hiding behind the guise of journalism.
The prosecutor's office conducting the investigation is carrying out its duties without discrimination between individuals and titles, based on the authority granted by the Constitution and laws. No authority or individual can give instructions to the judiciary. It should not be forgotten that in democratic societies, the line between criticism and crime is clear. When this line drawn by the law is crossed, one should not be disturbed by the activation of necessary judicial mechanisms."