ANKARA (Reuters) -A Turkish court sentenced a prominent independent journalist, Fatih Altayli, to four years and two months in prison on Wednesday over comments he made about President Tayyip Erdogan’s rule, state broadcaster TRT reported. 

His conviction comes amid a broader crackdown on Turkish opposition figures over the last year, including the March jailing of Erdogan’s main rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who faces corruption charges he denies.

Altayli, who has more than 1.5 million YouTube subscribers, had been jailed pending trial in June over the comments in a social media video about a poll that showed most Turks opposed Erdogan ruling for life.

In the clip, Altayli – referencing Ottoman history – said Turks had “killed” or “drowned” rulers they no longer wanted in power. Erdogan’s aide, Oktay Saral, said at the time that Altayli’s comments had “gone too far”.

The Istanbul court said it was sentencing Altayli for “threatening the president” and that he would remain in jail, TRT reported.

At the hearing, Altayli denied the charge, saying he did not intend to threaten Erdogan and demanding that he be acquitted, according to Turkish media reports. 

Erinc Sagkan, Altayli’s lawyer and head of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB), said the court ruling was completely “unlawful” and violated fundamental freedoms, adding that his client would appeal the verdict.

The ruling is “an intimidation against the entire press and could serve as a tool for oppressing all dissenting voices,” Sagkan added, speaking to reporters outside the courthouse.

Civil society groups have long expressed concerns over curbs on the media and free expression in Turkey. Reporters Without Borders ranked it 158th out of 180 countries in its 2024 Press Freedom Index.

(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Gareth Jones)