India, Dec. 30 -- A Turkish court on Monday ordered the release of veteran journalist Fatih Altayli from prison pending the outcome of his appeal against a conviction for allegedly threatening President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Altayli, 63, a longtime columnist whose YouTube programmes drew hundreds of thousands of viewers daily, was sentenced last month to four years and two months in prison.

He had been arrested in June on charges of threatening the president during one of his broadcasts - a case critics described as an attempt to silence a prominent Government opponent. The regional appeals court ruled for his release from prison, citing the absence of any flight risk, the fact that evidence had already been collected, and the time he ha...