Thousands gathered at a rally in Istanbul on Saturday to protest the case of leading Turkish politician CananKaftancioglu for insulting the president and the state.Protesters in the central Maltepe region chanted slogans and raised protesters with national flags. Kafancioglu, who was sentenced to less than five years in prison, heads the branch of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Istanbul and is one of the strongest voices in it.
Intense scrutiny in recent years
In 2019, he played a key role in the municipal elections in the city where the CHP took over the reins of government, which was held by President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party and Muslim predecessors 25 years ago.
Turkey’s independence has been under intense scrutiny in recent years, especially since there was violence in the judiciary and other organs of state following a coup d’etat in 2016 and a change in presidency last year. earlier this month, however, he reduced the prison sentence to four years, 11 months and 20 days. Under Turkish law, sentences of up to five years are suspended, and two legal experts say Kaftancioglu will not be arrested.
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