King Abdullah and US President George W. Bush at the G20 meeting in Washington. AFP
King Abdullah and US President George W. Bush at the G20 meeting in Washington. AFP

2008 - Saudi Arabia takes its place among the G20

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Updated 19 April 2025
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2008 - Saudi Arabia takes its place among the G20

2008 - Saudi Arabia takes its place among the G20
  • The Kingdom took on key leadership role in the international efforts to tackle the global financial crisis of 2008 

JEDDAH: On Nov. 14, 2008, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah attended the first meeting of the leaders of the G20, hosted by US President George W. Bush in Washington, D.C. The King’s presence showcased his country’s position as one of the top 20 economies in the world. 

The establishment of the G20 was initiated in 1999 during a forum in the German city of Cologne attended by the finance ministers and central bank governors of the original G7 nations: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. 

In response to a financial imbalance arising from the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the attendees discussed the introduction of a summit that included more members of the global community, specifically 10 industrial countries and 10 emerging market economies. 

The founding of the group was primarily an initiative of the German finance minister, Hans Eichel. The G20’s finance ministers subsequently convened each year to discuss international economic policy issues and promote international financial stability. 

At the behest of US President George W. Bush’s administration, the annual meeting of G20 finance ministers was elevated to the level of leaders in 2008. This was a response to a call for more-immediate action by heads of state following the collapse of global stock markets that year. 

How we wrote it




Arab News highlighted King Abdullah’s call for “tougher regulations” and Arab coordination to mitigate the financial crisis.

And so the G20 leaders assembled in Washington in November for their first high-level summit, which gave Saudi Arabia a chance to demonstrate its potential for global leadership and showcase its economic significance. 

During my first semester as a student studying for a master’s degree in public health in Europe in 2008, I kept apace with all news related to the Kingdom and followed the inaugural G20 Summit with great interest, as it was a chance for the leader of my nation to demonstrate to the international community its commitment to its partners and the world. 

As a young Saudi, I lived through some of the early reforms introduced by King Abdullah after he became ruler in 2005. I was a witness to the economic boom resulting from these reforms, including the development of the Kingdom’s infrastructure. 

These developments also included sending thousands of students around the world to attend top-tier universities through the King Abdullah Scholarship Program, the largest of its kind in the history of the Kingdom and one I was proud to be a part of. 

In 2019, now an Arab News reporter, I traveled to Tokyo to report from the annual T20 (Think 20) Summit, one of the G20’s engagement groups. To fully understand the G20, you have to understand the T20. It is the intellectual backbone that connects the policy recommendations, called Task Forces, of successive G20 presidencies. Topics for discussion at T20 summits include trade, climate change, terrorism and gender equality. 

During the summit I met the heads of Saudi think tanks and researchers from the Kingdom, who told me about their proposals, many of which would be adopted the following year when Saudi Arabia held the presidency of the G20. 

The proposed Task Forces are selected carefully in what the head of the Saudi T20 delegation, Fahad Al-Turki, described as “a collective effort to ensure continuity” and avoid breaking a cycle that began in 2012 when the T20 engagement group was established. 

 

Key Dates

  • 1

    The Group of 20 is founded after the Asian financial crisis as a forum for the finance ministers and central bank governors of 19 countries plus the EU.

  • 2

    Hosted by US President George W. Bush, leaders of the G20 members meet in Washington, D.C. amid the global stock market collapse. Saudi delegation is led by King Abdullah.

    Timeline Image Nov. 14-15, 2008

  • 3

    First meeting of the Saudi Arabia-China High-Level Joint Committee; participants include Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Xi Jinping, who were attending the G20 Summit in Hangzhou.

    Timeline Image Aug. 31, 2016

  • 4

    Final communique of G20 summit in Hamburg announces the 2020 summit will take place in Saudi Arabia for first time.

    Timeline Image July 8, 2017

  • 5

    Saudi Arabia assumes presidency of the G20 for 2020, taking over from Japan.

    Timeline Image Dec. 1, 2019

  • 6

    In the face of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, plans to stage 15th meeting of the G20 in Riyadh are abandoned. King Salman instead hosts an extraordinary virtual summit that promotes a coordinated set of policies to protect peoples and safeguard the global economy.

    Timeline Image March 26, 2020

For two days I read reports; I spoke to the heads of research centers from my home country and from Japan, Argentina and the US; I sat through sessions open to the public; and I read the final communique of the summit. I now know more. 

The G20 is not simply a gathering of leaders: It is a village of ministers, heads of agencies, researchers, economists, mayors, scientists and community leaders that has developed important policies to provide more control over their own economies while also assisting economies that are poorer and facing challenges. 

Back in 2008, the world leaders sat for two days behind closed doors in Washington discussing financial market woes and ways to help economies bounce back. At the conclusion of the talks, they gathered for the first ever G20 “family portrait.” 

In the Nov. 16 edition of Arab News that year, it was reported that King Abdullah had called for greater international cooperation and coordination to offset the effects of the financial crisis. He emphasized “the need to develop effective monitoring systems” and called on the International Monetary Fund to play a greater role in supervising financial sectors in developed countries. 

His speech came at a time when the Kingdom was going through a period of economic reforms designed to modernize its business environment, later bolstered by the launch of Vision 2030. Fast forward to 2022 and 2023, Saudi Arabia’s GDP achieved the highest growth rate among the G20 countries, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s “Global Economic Prospects” report. 

This growth in the Saudi economy has led to its classification among the best emerging economies in the world, alongside China, India and Turkiye.  

King Abdullah also pledged that Saudi Arabia would provide assistance to developing countries “exceeding the percentage established by the UN for assistance from industrial countries.” The adoption of this role of benefactor was something the Kingdom had been doing for years, even before joining the G20. 

The significance of Saudi Arabia’s participation at the first G20 leaders’ summit was that it not only highlighted the country’s role in global markets, but also demonstrated its willingness to be a voice for the region and the wider developing world. 




The first G20 leaders’ “family portrait.” AFP

To help ensure the G20’s regional balance over time, a different member state assumes the presidency of the group each year based on a system designed to reflect its nature as an informal political forum. On Dec. 1, 2019, a little over a decade after that first meeting in Washington, Saudi Arabia took over the presidency for 2020 and prepared to host the group’s 15th summit. 

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of plans to stage the annual meeting in Riyadh. However, Saudi Arabia responded to the situation with imagination and technical and organizational flair. 

On March 26, 2020, King Salman presided over an extraordinary virtual summit at which world leaders, connected through video-conferencing software, planned a coordinated global response to the pandemic. 

The Saudi presidency included another G20 first: the inaugural meeting of the group’s ministers of culture. In the words of a later analysis by UNESCO, the unprecedented economic and social disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic “had starkly exposed the vulnerability of the culture sector, while also bringing to light its critical contribution to the global economy, and to the resilience, well-being and prosperity of societies. 

“Under these unique circumstances, Saudi Arabia successfully campaigned for culture to be added as a distinct track at the G20, thus laying the foundation for an effective cooperation among G20 members to accelerate the recovery of the cultural sector from the repercussions of the pandemic, and to enhance the collective commitment to strengthening culture as a driver for sustainable development, resilience and prosperity of societies.”

  • Rawan Radwan, who was regional correspondent for Arab News in 2019 and 2020, based in Jeddah, reported from the T20 (Think 20) Tokyo Summit. 


Inter Milan scores twice in final minutes to beat Urawa in Club World Cup, 2-1

Inter Milan scores twice in final minutes to beat Urawa in Club World Cup, 2-1
Updated 23 min 38 sec ago
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Inter Milan scores twice in final minutes to beat Urawa in Club World Cup, 2-1

Inter Milan scores twice in final minutes to beat Urawa in Club World Cup, 2-1

SEATTLE: Valentin Carboni scored the game-winning goal in stoppage time to give Inter Milan a 2-1 win over Urawa in the Club World Cup on Saturday, ending the Japan club's chances of advancing past the group stage.
Inter Milan held the vast majority of possession, but failed to score until the 78th minute when Lautaro Martinez brilliantly bicycle kicked Nicolo Barella’s corner ball into the net.
Carboni's game-winner came in the second minute of stoppage time and was assisted by fellow substitute Francesco Esposito.
The Urawa Red Diamonds opened the scoring in the 11th minute. Takuro Kaneko assisted Ryoma Watanabe in transition, finding Watanabe all alone on the penalty spot with his cutback ball.
Key moment
Urawa had one final chance to equalize in the last minute of stoppage time, but goalkeeper Yann Sommer tipped the long-distance attempt directly from the free kick over the crossbar.
Takeaways
Inter Milan takes over the top spot in Group E after following up their tournament-opening draw with the victory. The Italian club will play River Plate of Argentina on Wednesday.
Urawa will be playing for pride against CF Monterrey on Wednesday.


Pro-Palestinian protest leader defiant despite US deportation threat

Pro-Palestinian protest leader defiant despite US deportation threat
Updated 35 min 41 sec ago
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Pro-Palestinian protest leader defiant despite US deportation threat

Pro-Palestinian protest leader defiant despite US deportation threat
  • Khalil, a legal permanent resident in the United States who is married to a US citizen and has a US-born son, had been in custody since March facing potential deportation

NEWARK, United States: Mahmoud Khalil, one of the most prominent leaders of US pro-Palestinian campus protests, pledged Saturday to keep campaigning after he was released from a federal detention center.
“Even if they would kill me, I would still speak for Palestine,” Khalil said as he was greeted by cheering supporters at Newark airport, just outside New York City.
Khalil, a legal permanent resident in the United States who is married to a US citizen and has a US-born son, had been in custody since March facing potential deportation.
He was freed from a federal immigration detention center in Louisiana on Friday, hours after a judge ordered his release on bail.
The Columbia University graduate was a figurehead of student protests against US ally Israel’s war in Gaza, and the Trump administration labeled him a national security threat.
“Just the fact I am here sends a message — the fact that all these attempts to suppress pro-Palestine voices have failed now,” said Khalil, who is still fighting his potential expulsion from the United States.
He spoke alongside his wife Noor Abdalla, who gave birth to the couple’s first child while Khalil was in detention, as well as Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“Mahmoud Khalil was imprisoned for 104 days by this administration, by the Trump administration, with no grounds and for political reasons, because Mahmoud Khalil is an advocate for Palestinian human rights,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“This is not over, and we will have to continue to support this case,” she added.
Khalil, who was born in Syria to Palestinian parents, is not allowed to leave the United States except for “self-deportation” under the terms of his release.
He also faces restrictions on where he can travel within the country.
President Donald Trump’s government has justified pushing for Khalil’s deportation by saying his continued presence in the United States could carry “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”
Beyond his legal case, Khalil’s team fears he could face threats out of detention.
“We are very mindful about his security, and the irony is that he is the one being persecuted,” Baher Azmy, one of his lawyers, told AFP.
“But he is committed to peace and because he is rejecting US government policy he is under threat,” Azmy added, without elaborating on any security measures in place for Khalil and his family.
 

 


What the latest figures reveal about the state of the world’s refugees

What the latest figures reveal about the state of the world’s refugees
Updated 19 min 26 sec ago
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What the latest figures reveal about the state of the world’s refugees

What the latest figures reveal about the state of the world’s refugees
  • The vast majority of the world’s displaced remain in poorer countries, challenging the narrative of a crisis centered on wealthy nations
  • Humanitarian agencies warn of deep funding gaps that place support for those displaced by conflict, disaster and economic collapse at risk

LONDON: There are not many people who would consider starting over at the age of 103. But for father, grandfather and great-grandfather Jassim, who has spent the past decade in exile in Lebanon with his family, the dramatic end of the Syrian civil war meant he could finally return home.

And in May, Jassim did just that.

In 2013, after their hometown in Syria’s Homs Governorate was caught in the crossfire of the country’s bitter civil war, Jassim and the surviving members of his family fled.

Not all of them would make the journey to relative safety and a makeshift tent camp near Baalbek in eastern Lebanon. During one period of intense fighting three of his children were killed when a shell fell near the family’s house.

Syrian refugees returning from Lebanon are seen at the al-Zamrani crossing on May 14, 2024. (SANA photo via AFP/File)

For Jassim, holding the memory of their loss deep in his heart, the return last month to the town of Al-Qusayr after 12 years as refugees in another country was achingly poignant.

“You raise your children to see them grow and bring life to your home,” he said, speaking through a translator for the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. “Now they are gone.”

As the family discovered when they arrived back in Al-Qusayr last month, the home in which they had been raised was also gone.

“It was a bittersweet moment,” Jassim said. “I was happy to return to the place where I was born and raised but devastated to see my home reduced to rubble.”

Refugees travel with their belongings in the Syrian Arab Republic. (AFP)

Although they are back in their own country, the future for Jassim’s family remains uncertain. With luck they are on the cusp of a fresh start, but for Jassim returning to the land of his birth has a more final meaning.

“I came back to die in Syria,” he said.

UNHCR says about 550,000 Syrian refugees returned home between December and the end of May, along with a further 1.3 million displaced within the country. This is one of the brighter spots in UNHCR’s 2025 Global Trends report, published in the lead-up to World Refugee Day on June 20.

Overall, the report, which contains the latest statistics on refugees, asylum-seekers, the internally displaced and stateless people worldwide, makes for predictably gloomy reading.

Infographic from the UNHCR's Global Trends 2025 report

As of the end of 2024, it found that 123.2 million people — about one in 67 globally — were forcibly displaced “as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing public order.” This figure includes 5.9 million Palestinian refugees.

Of the 123.2 million, 42.7 million are refugees seeking sanctuary in a foreign country, and of these about 6.6 million are from countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Unsurprisingly, the largest number of refugees in the region under the UNHCR’s mandate in 2024 were from Syria — accounting for 5.9 million. But other numbers, although smaller, serve as a reminder of conflicts currently overshadowed by events in Syria and Gaza.

More than 300,000 Iraqi refugees were registered in 2024, along with 51,348 from Yemen, 23,736 from Egypt, 17,235 from Libya and 10,609 from Morocco.

Palestinians transport a casualty pulled from the rubble of a house targeted in an Israeli strike at the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on June 15, 2025. (AFP)

Amid the devastation in Gaza since October 2023, and rising settler violence in the occupied West Bank, nearly as many Palestinians have fled as refugees in 2024 — 43,712 — as have been killed in Gaza.

Globally, there is a glimmer of hope. In the second half of 2024 the rate of forced displacement slowed and, says UNHCR, “operational data and initial estimates for 2025 indicate that global forced displacement may begin to fall during 2025.”

Indeed, the agency estimates that by the end of April 2025 the total number of forcibly displaced people — a term that includes people displaced within their own country and those seeking refuge in another state — had fallen by 1 percent to 122.1 million.

But whether that trend continues depends very much on several factors, said Tarik Argaz, spokesperson for UNHCR’s regional bureau for the Middle East and North Africa in Amman, Jordan.

There are, Argaz told Arab News, undoubtedly “signs of hope in the report, particularly in the area of solutions. But during the remainder of 2025, much will depend on the dynamics in key situations.

“While we should keep hopes high, we have to be very careful in interpreting the trends in the international scene,” including “whether the situation in South Sudan does not deteriorate further, and whether conditions for return improve, in particular in Afghanistan and Syria.”

In 2024, about 9.8 million forcibly displaced people worldwide were able to return home, including 1.6 million refugees — the highest number for more than two decades — and 8.2 million internally displaced people — the second highest total yet recorded. 

However, Argaz said, “it must be acknowledged that many of these returns were under duress or in adverse conditions to countries like Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Ukraine, which remain fragile.”

For Syrians in particular, “there is uncertainty and significant risks, especially for minority groups. Syrians in the country and those returning from abroad need support with shelter, access to basic services such as water, sanitation, employment and legal assistance, among other things,” he said.

“The economic conditions remain dire, while the security situation remains fragile in many parts of the country.”

And while Jassim and his family are pleased to be back in Syria, UNHCR is concerned that not all Syrian refugees are returning entirely of their own free will.

“UNHCR is supporting those who are choosing to return,” Argaz said. “But returns should be safe, voluntary and dignified. We continue to call on states not to forcibly return Syrians to any part of Syria and to continue allowing civilians fleeing Syria access to territory and to seek asylum.”

The Global Trends report also highlights the burden placed on host countries by refugees.

IN NUMBERS

550,000 Syrian refugees returned home between December and the end of May.

6.6 million people forcibly displaced from MENA countries as of December 2024.

Source: UNHCR

Relative to the size of its population, Lebanon was hosting the largest number of refugees of any country in the world in 2024, accounting for one in eight of the population. 

Lebanon’s already complex situation was further complicated in September 2024 when the war between Israel and Hezbollah displaced nearly a million people within the country.

By the end of April, there were still 90,000 people internally displaced in Lebanon. But between September and October last year the conflict led to an estimated 557,000 people fleeing Lebanon for Syria — of whom over 60 percent were Syrians who had originally sought sanctuary in Lebanon. 

Lebanese security forces deploy to organize the crowd as people, mostly Syrians, arrive from their country to the Masnaa border crossing on the way to Lebanon on December 9, 2024. (AFP)

The issue of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa has become a delicate matter in Europe, with right-wing parties winning votes over the issue and centrist governments taking anti-migrant stances to assuage increasingly angry voters.

“But contrary to perceptions in the global North,” Argaz said, “60 percent of forcibly displaced people stay within their own country, as internally displaced people. Of those who leave as refugees, 67 percent go to neighboring countries — low and middle-income countries host 73 percent of the world’s refugees.”

For example, at the end of 2024, almost 80 percent of the 6.1 million Syrian refugees and asylum-seekers were hosted by neighboring countries — 2.9 million in Turkiye, 755,000 in Lebanon, 611,000 in Jordan, 304,000 in Iraq and 134,000 in Egypt.

The situation in Sudan and South Sudan is particularly perilous. Sudan’s two million refugees, although scattered across dozens of countries, from Algeria to Zimbabwe, are concentrated mainly in Chad, South Sudan and Libya, with tens of thousands each in countries including Egypt, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia and Uganda, with sizable numbers in the UK and France.

Sudanese people who fled the Zamzam camp for the internally displaced after it fell under RSF control, rest in a makeshift encampment in an open field near the town of Tawila in the country's western Darfur region on April 13, 2025. (AFP)

Despite offering refuge to almost half a million refugees from Sudan, 2.29 million South Sudanese are seeking sanctuary elsewhere — in Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and, in a reflection of the internecine nature of the violence in the region, Sudan.

For all the world’s refugees and internally displaced, UNHCR is the lifeline on which they depend, both for support while displaced and upon returning to shattered lives and homes. But with donor nations slashing funds, this work is under threat.

“Severe cuts in global funding announced this year have caused upheaval across the humanitarian sector, putting millions of lives at risk,” Argaz said.

“We call for continuing funding of UNHCR programs that save lives, assist refugees and IDPs returning home and reinforce basic infrastructure and social services in host communities as an essential investment in regional and global security.

“In addition, more responsibility sharing from the rest of the world with the countries that host the bulk of refugees is crucial and needed.”

In December, UNHCR announced it had secured a record $1.5 billion in early funding from several countries for 2025. But, as Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees, said at the time, “generous as it is, humanitarian funding is not keeping pace with the growing needs.”

The funding commitment of $1.5 billion represents only 15 percent of the estimated $10.248 billion UNHCR says it will need for the whole of 2025. Of that total, the single largest proportions, $2.167 and $2.122 billion respectively, will be spent on projects in East Africa and in the Middle East and North Africa.
 

 


Tens of thousands join pro-Palestinian marches across Europe

People attend a pro-Palestinians demonstration in Berlin, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP)
People attend a pro-Palestinians demonstration in Berlin, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP)
Updated 22 June 2025
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Tens of thousands join pro-Palestinian marches across Europe

People attend a pro-Palestinians demonstration in Berlin, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP)
  • Saturday’s marches comes amid heightened global tensions as the United States mulls joining Israel’s strikes against Iran

LONDON: Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched in European cities Saturday calling for an end to the war in Gaza, amid concerns the Iran-Israel conflict could spark wider regional devastation.
In London, AFP journalists saw tens of thousands of protesters, who waved Palestinian flags as they marched through the British capital clad in keffiyeh scarves.
In Berlin, more than 10,000 people gathered in the center of the city in support of Gaza, according to police figures.
And in the Swiss capital Bern, march organizers estimated that 20,000 people rallied in front of the national parliament, urging the government to back a ceasefire.
There have been monthly protests in the British capital since the start of the 20-month-long war between Israel and Hamas, which has ravaged Gaza.
This Saturday, protesters there carried signs including “Stop arming Israel” and “No war on Iran” as they marched in the sweltering heat.
“It’s important to remember that people are suffering in Gaza. I fear all the focus will be on Iran now,” said 34-year-old Harry Baker.
“I don’t have great love for the Iranian regime, but we are now in a dangerous situation.” This was his third pro-Palestinian protest, he added.

Saturday’s marches comes amid heightened global tensions as the United States mulls joining Israel’s strikes against Iran.
Tehran said Saturday that more than 400 people had been killed in Iran since Israel launched strikes last week claiming its arch-foe was close to acquiring a nuclear weapon, which Iran denies.
Some 25 people have been killed in Israel, according to official figures.
One marcher in London, a 31-year-old Iranian student who did not want to share her name, told AFP she had family in Iran and was “scared.”
“I’m worried about my country. I know the regime is not good but it’s still my country. I’m scared,” she said.
Gaza is suffering from famine-like conditions according to UN agencies in the region following an Israeli aid blockade.
Gaza’s civil defense agency has reported that hundreds have been killed by Israeli forces while trying to reach the US- and Israeli-backed aid distribution sites.
“People need to keep their eyes on Gaza. That’s where the genocide is happening,” said 60-year-old protester Nicky Marcus.

In Berlin, demonstrators gathered mid-afternoon close to the parliament, some chanting “Germany finances, Israel bombs.”
“You can’t sit on the sofa and be silent. Now is the time when we all need to speak up,” said protester Gundula, who did not want to give her second name.
For Marwan Radwan, the point of the protest was to bring attention to the “genocide currently taking place” and the “dirty work” being done by the German government.
In Bern, demonstrators carried banners calling on the federal government to intervene in the war in Gaza, expressing solidarity with Palestinians.
The rally there was called by organizations including Amnesty International, the Social Democratic Party, the Greens and the Swiss Trade Union Federation.
Slogans included “Stop the occupation,” “Stop the starvation, stop the violence,” and “Right to self-determination.”
Some marchers chanted: “We are all the children of Gaza.”
The overall death toll in Gaza since the war broke out has reached at least 55,637 people, according to the health ministry.
Israel has denied it is carrying out a genocide and says it aims to wipe out Hamas after the Islamist group’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people.

 


Turkiye detains prominent journalist for allegedly threatening Erdogan

Turkiye detains prominent journalist for allegedly threatening Erdogan
Updated 21 June 2025
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Turkiye detains prominent journalist for allegedly threatening Erdogan

Turkiye detains prominent journalist for allegedly threatening Erdogan
  • Altayli posted a video on Friday referencing an unnamed poll showing 70 percent of Turks opposed Erdogan ruling for life
  • Istanbul prosecutor’s office said the comments from Altayli “contained threats” against Erdogan

ANKARA: Turkish authorities detained prominent independent journalist Fatih Altayli on Saturday over social media comments allegedly threatening President Tayyip Erdogan, the Istanbul prosecutor’s office said.

Altayli, who has more than 1.51 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, posted a video on Friday referencing an unnamed poll showing 70 percent of Turks opposed Erdogan ruling for life, saying this would “never be allowed” by the Turkish people.

Altayli also referenced past Ottoman rulers in his comments, saying people had “drowned,” “killed,” or “assassinated them in the past.” His comments drew backlash from an Erdogan aide, Oktay Saral, who said on X that Altayli’s “water was boiling.”

In a statement, the Istanbul prosecutor’s office said the comments from Altayli “contained threats” against Erdogan, and said an investigation has been launched against him. Legal representation for Altayli could not immediately be reached for comment.

Altayli’s detention comes amid a series of detentions of opposition figures in recent months, including the arrest in March of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu who is Erdogan’s main political rival.

The main opposition CHP says the detentions and arrests of its members, along with other opposition members and journalists or media personalities, is a politicized move by the government to muzzle dissent and eliminate electoral challenges to Erdogan.

The government denies these claims, saying the judiciary and Turkiye’s courts are independent.

Turkish authorities have in the past carried out widespread detentions and arrests against opposition politicians, namely pro-Kurdish local authorities. More than 150 people jailed so far over what Erdogan’s government says is a ring of corruption that the CHP denies.