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PoliticsTurkey

Thousands protest Turkish politician's conviction

May 22, 2022

Erdogan critic Canan Kaftancioglu, the head of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Istanbul branch, has been sentenced to five years in jail for insulting Turkey's president on social media.

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Supporters of the Republican People's Party rally in Istanbul
Protesters say the charges against Kaftancioglu are politically motivatedImage: Murad Sezer/REUTERS

Thousands of people took to the streets in Istanbul on Saturday to protest against a prison sentence imposed on one of Turkey's leading opposition politicians.

The demonstrations follow a decision by the country's Supreme Court of Appeal to uphold a nearly five-year jail sentence on Canan Kaftancioglu for insulting the president and the state, based on her posts on Twitter from 2012 to 2017.

Kaftancioglu is the head of the Republican People's Party's (CHP) Istanbul branch and is one of the strongest voices in it.

In 2019, she played a key role in municipal elections in Istanbul that saw a CHP victory ending 25 years of rule by  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party and its predecessors.

Tens of thousands of citizens filling the Maltepe Rally area.
Demonstrators gather at the Maltepe Rally area in Istanbul on SaturdayImage: Tolga Ildun/ZUMA/picture alliance

Critics view Kaftancioglu's conviction as part of a crackdown on opposition to Erdogan ahead of next year's presidential elections.

Protesters on Saturday chanted "Rights, law, justice" in Turkish in a show of support and solidarity for Kaftancioglu.

dvv/wd (dpa, Reuters)