Turkish prosecutors have drawn up an indictment against freelance journalist Fatih Altaili, seeking at least five years in prison for statements deemed offensive to the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

According to reports on Thursday by state-run TRT network, citing Reuters sources, the case is based on comments made by Altaili in a video posted on social media in which he referred to a poll showing that a majority of people in Turkey do not want Erdogan to remain in power. The journalist, with more than 1.5 million followers on YouTube, was taken into custody last month pending trial.

He denied the charges against him, claiming in court – before his remand – that his words were part of a theoretical discussion with historical references. In the video in question, Altaili referred to instances from the Ottoman period, saying the Turks had “killed” or “drowned” rulers who no longer wished to rule.

The statements provoked a strong reaction from Erdogan’s adviser, Octay Saral, who commented on Platform X that Altaili “was in a difficult position.”

The indictment includes a charge of “threatening the president,” which, according to the Turkish penal code, carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison if convicted, TRT reported.