--- title: In Turkey, the Curious Case of an Empty Chair description: Turkish journalist Fatih Altaylı has been writing letters from prison about the state of his nation that his colleagues read aloud on a YouTube show before an empty chair. canonical: https://time.com/7323437/in-turkey-the-curious-case-of-an-empty-chair/ author: Afsin Yurdakul article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-10-07T10:15:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-11T00:22:22.839Z article:section: Ideas og:title: In Turkey, the Curious Case of an Empty Chair og:description: "A Turkish journalist has been writing letters from prison about the state of his nation. His colleagues read them out on a YouTube show," writes Afşin Yurdakul og:url: https://time.com/7323437/in-turkey-the-curious-case-of-an-empty-chair/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt017bdbf09c10414d/6998ca6e1f6709dbecf56c9d/Fatih-Altayli-empty-chair-turkey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: Turkey Prison Journalism og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: In Turkey, the Curious Case of an Empty Chair twitter:description: "A Turkish journalist has been writing letters from prison about the state of his nation. His colleagues read them out on a YouTube show," writes Afşin Yurdakul twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt017bdbf09c10414d/6998ca6e1f6709dbecf56c9d/Fatih-Altayli-empty-chair-turkey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  IDEAS Time ideas # In Turkey, the Curious Case of an Empty Chair > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=ca818c87-2266-4296-ad65-34f2bc1ab1be&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) by [Afsin Yurdakul](https://time.com/author/afsin-yurdakul/) ## Afsin Yurdakul Oct 7, 2025 10:15 AM UTC  An empty chair takes center stage at a TV studio set where imprisoned Turkish journalist Fatih Altayli continues to deliver news on his YouTube show through letters read by his assistant, in Istanbul, on Oct. 1, 2025. An empty chair takes center stage at a TV studio set where imprisoned Turkish journalist Fatih Altayli continues to deliver news on his YouTube show through letters read by his assistant, in Istanbul, on Oct. 1, 2025. Francisco Seco—AP by [Afsin Yurdakul](https://time.com/author/afsin-yurdakul/) ## Afsin Yurdakul Oct 7, 2025 10:15 AM UTC The most watched news show on YouTube in Turkey has an unusual format: In a bare studio, the camera is fixed on[ an empty gray chair](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZtg-LE8Ssk&list=PL2F%5F6EAbtZ0IPA4JuCO-5OVm0G7kyFqJ8&index=1). Over that striking visual, a narrator reads out a letter written by Fatih Altaylı, a prominent Turkish journalist, from his cell in the Marmara Prison Campus in Silivri, on the outskirts of Istanbul. The show airs at 6:30 in the morning during weekdays, quickly attracting clicks and comments, with its immensely popular content usually making headlines on other news sites. The format was born after Altaylı, the host of the show, was arrested in June over comments he made in a broadcast that allegedly contained threats to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish president. Altaylı has been writing letters from prison, reflecting on prison life, offering commentary on current affairs, and even delivering political scoops. His lawyers bring the letters to his production team. Emre Acar, his producer and presenter, reads and records these dispatches from prison before airing them in the morning. The production team, which sees Altaylı’s arrest as unjust and a violation of his right to free speech, named the empty chair format of the show: _Fatih Altaylı Yorumlayamıyor_, or _Fatih Altaylı_ _Cannot Comment_. “What mattered most to me was that people truly felt his absence,” explained Acar. “I wanted the audience to confront that reality. The empty chair spoke louder than words.” Several people suggested the producer should use Artificial Intelligence to read out the letters in Altaylı’s voice, or use a digital avatar of the imprisoned journalist on the show. Acar refused. “If people can’t see him and can’t hear his voice, then they really need to live with that reality,” he insisted. “They must not normalize it.” ### Water is boiling Fatih Altaylı has worked as a journalist in Turkey for more than 40 years, hosting news shows, writing columns, editing newspapers, and running television networks. We were colleagues at HaberTurk, a Turkish television network, and I was a guest on his YouTube show some months before his arrest. With his signature blunt and provocative style, Altaylı has long received both praise and criticism. In the summer of 2023, soon after Turkey’s presidential elections, he began broadcasting his eponymous YouTube channel, which went on to be quite popular. In June, Altaylı discussed a national poll on his show, which found that a large majority of Turks opposed the possibility of President Erdoğan remaining in power for life. In his commentary, Altaylı referenced Ottoman history, remarking that “in the distant past” Turks had[ “strangled”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl2Gbb3vJfw) sultans they disapproved of, and some Ottoman rulers “fell victim to plots.” Oktay Saral, an advisor to the Turkish president, shared a clip from Altaylı’s broadcast on X,[ addressing](https://x.com/oktay%5Fsaral/status/1936332673418424413) the journalist, “_Altaylıııı!! Suyun ısınmaya başladı_.” The comment, which literally translates to, “Altaylı!! Your water is boiling,” was interpreted as a threat. The arrest came soon after, prompting criticism that it was politically motivated. Altaylı denied the accusations and insisted that his comments had been taken out of context. He argued that he had used the example to demonstrate how Turks stood up for their right to vote. In the longer version of the[ video](https://youtu.be/Sl2Gbb3vJfw?si=--KbuI%5FGAEsdOGHB), he talks about how “the Turkish people love the ballot box,” and that “even if you put their father there, they like to keep the option of voting him out.” The government wasn’t buying it. Yilmaz Tunç, the Justice Minister of Turkey,[ described](https://x.com/yilmaztunc/status/1936833205191254460) Altaylı’s statements as “black propaganda containing a call for violence.” The Communications Directorate of the Turkish Presidency waded in with a[ statement](https://www.iletisim.gov.tr/turkce/haberler/detay/fatih-altaylinin-yargilanma-surecine-iliskin-aciklama) saying that, “a campaign is being carried out to manipulate public opinion,” regarding the legal proceedings against Altaylı, adding that “presenting the ‘crime of threat’ as ‘freedom of expression’ is manipulation.” Prosecutors are seeking a minimum[ five-year](https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/prominent-turkish-journalist-appears-court-alleged-threats-erdogan-126174560) prison sentence for Altayli. Before his trial started on October 3, a group of Turkish legal scholars submitted an[ opinion](https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/fatih-altayli-davasinda-hukukculardan-bilimsel-mutalaa-suc-yok-elestiri-hakki-kullanildi-2440171) to the court arguing that Altaylı's remarks “constitute the exercise of the right to criticism,” and “do not constitute any crime.” They also[ noted](https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/fatih-altayli-davasinda-hukukculardan-bilimsel-mutalaa-suc-yok-elestiri-hakki-kullanildi-2440171) that statements from officials violated the journalist's “presumption of innocence” and his “right to a free trial.” ### Notes from a prison Turkey ranks a bleak[ 159 out of 180](https://rsf.org/en/country-t%C3%BCrkiye) countries in the RSF World Press Freedom Index. Pressure on journalists and opposition figures has intensified since Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul’s mayor and a political rival of the President, was[ arrested](https://time.com/7272177/turkey-imamoglu-arrest-erdogan-authoritarianism/) in March. Turkish journalists reporting on political and economic misconduct often anticipate legal challenges. Yet, the arrest of Altaylı, a loud and critical voice still within the mainstream, came as a shock to many. Altaylı continued reporting from prison and his audience has only grown. His platform has gained 60,000 new subscribers, and his videos have received nearly 28 million views, according to a July[ YouTube Rating Report](https://www.marketingturkiye.com.tr/haberler/temmuz-ayinin-reyting-sampiyonu-gazetecileri/) by Marketing Turkiye and Medya Takip Merkezi, a media monitoring center in Turkey. A combination of solidarity and hunger for independent news in a media landscape strongly influenced by the government turned Altaylı into the most watched journalist on YouTube in the country. Frustration over perceived assaults on the rule of law and economic mismanagement in Turkey have contributed to the imprisoned journalist getting support from people of disparate political persuasions. Over the summer, the production team made a change in the format: after Acar read his letter from prison, a guest from politics, academia, and the arts would sit in the empty chair, express solidarity with Altaylı, and comment on the state of the nation. Among those who attended the show was Özgür Özel, the chairman of the Republican People's Party, the main opposition party in Turkey. “We would gladly welcome our President and our Minister of Justice,” said Acar, the producer. His invitations have been met with silence so far. “I wish they would come,” he added. “It would be the most meaningful program.” In prison, Altaylı has frequent visitors--politicians, lawyers, journalists, and other influential figures bring him insights and information. The television set in his cell keeps him plugged into the daily news cycle. In a dramatic example, Altaylı[ interviewed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QRJ3yWR4Ps) İmamoğlu, Istanbul’s suspended mayor, who is also imprisoned in the same facility on corruption charges. Their lawyers carried handwritten questions and answers between the jailed journalist and the jailed politician. In his letters, Altaylı offers glimpses of life behind the bars, from sunbathing in the prison courtyard to battling mosquitoes and even being taken out by a guard to play football. In one letter, he jokingly dubs himself “the Silivri Prison correspondent,” reporting on the morale and well-being of various imprisoned opposition mayors and officials with a deliberate tabloid-like flair. The prison in Silivri has a storied place in Turkish politics; it has been long associated with the suppression of dissent. The dark humor of the popular Turkish phrase, ‘Silivri soğuktur,’ (Silivri is cold) conveys the chilling reality of crackdown on political opposition in Turkey. By reporting and commenting from prison, Altaylı seemed determined to defy that idea, though some journalists privately fear it might delay his release. On Oct.3, in his first court hearing, Altaylı denied the charges against him. The court extended his detention, and scheduled the next hearing for late November. Three days later, on Monday, in a letter from prison, Altayli announced that he is pausing his broadcasts for medical reasons and challenges of producing journalism in a restricted space. The final video was titled _“_[_Bize Biraz Müsaade_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D70%5FLhLHwNA)," or "A Little Leave for Us." His producer did not read it aloud. The last letter appeared as a silent, scrolling text against the backdrop of a blurred, empty chair. The studio lights were turned off. [TIME Ideas](https://www.time.com/ideas) hosts the world's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. We welcome outside contributions. 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