Prosecutors seek up to two years in jail for CHP Istanbul chair for 'insulting' Erdoğan aide
Turkish prosecutors have sought up to two years and four months in prison for CHP Istanbul chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu in a case concerning her remarks about the illegal construction work on Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun's property in Üsküdar. This is the second lawsuit that Altun brought against Kaftancıoğlu with regards to the incident.
Duvar English
Istanbul prosecutors have submitted a new indictment to the court demanding up to two years in jail for main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Istanbul chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu on charges of “insulting” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s aide Fahrettin Altun.
The case concerns Kaftancıoğlu's remarks on April 14, 2020 about the construction work on Altun’s property in Istanbul.
On April 13, the CHP-run municipality in Istanbul's Üsküdar district reported the illegal construction on Altun's land and shared photos of the site. In return, Altun accused the municipality of violating the “privacy of personal life,” which led to Kaftancıoğlu's criticism of the aide.
This is the second lawsuit filed against Kaftancıoğlu about the incident, as the first one had accused her of “instigating a crime” and “praising a crime and criminal.”
The newly filed indictment against Kaftancıoğlu brought new charges, accusing her of “offending and insulting” Altun. It sought from one year and two months to two years and four months in prison for the CHP Istanbul chair on charges of “insulting a public official.”
If the indictment is accepted, Kaftancıoğlu will appear before the Istanbul Anatolian 40th Criminal Court of First Instance, Demirören news agency reported on Oct. 7.
Kaftancıoğlu been credited as the person behind the CHP's municipal election victory in Istanbul in 2019. The CHP’s victory ended the 25 year-rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its predecessor Welfare (“Refah”) Party in Istanbul.
In September of 2019, Kaftancıoğlu was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison for old tweets that allegedly spread terrorist propaganda. The CHP has said the conviction is politically motivated and is a “revenge” for the AKP’s loss in Istanbul as the trial began shortly after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s re-run win.
Kaftancıoğlu appealed the conviction and has not been imprisoned during this appeal process.