Court orders ban on Altaylı's YouTube channel
ISTANBUL
An Istanbul court has decided to block access to the YouTube channel of imprisoned journalist Fatih Altaylı and remove its content.
The decision on Aug. 7 was not immediately enforced, though reports said it had been communicated to internet service providers.
The court’s ruling, which refers to an article of the Internet Law, said the access ban was imposed “for the purpose of protecting national security and public order and preventing crime.”
Altaylı, whose channel has around 1.65 million subscribers, was arrested on June 20 over remarks he made on the channel. He was accused of making "threatening" remarks targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
In a statement to police, Altaylı said his words were not intended to insult or threaten the president and that they had been distorted.
Following Altaylı’s arrest, prominent figures from politics, art and media appeared in broadcasts on the channel.
Among them were main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel, comedian Cem Yılmaz and several journalists.
