Top Turkish appeals court upholds jail sentence against CHP Istanbul chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu

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Turkey's Court of Cassation, the country's highest court of appeals, on May 12 upheld the jail sentence of main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Istanbul chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu in three cases.

The total length of the upheld sentences against the politician is four years and 11 months. Kaftancıoğlu is accused of “insulting a public official,” “explicitly degrading the Turkish Republic” and "insulting the president" in these cases.  

The Court of Cassation also ruled that two other cases against Kaftancıoğlu be dropped.

Journalist İsmail Saymaz announced that Kaftancıoğlu was also banned from politics with the court's ruling.

Kaftancıoğlu shared a video on her social media account with regards to the ruling, urging people “not to lose their hope.” “We will work until the malignancy in the rulership goes away, and not just for Canan Kaftancıoğlu, but to ensure the superiority of law persists for 84 million people,” she said.

Meanwhile, in a Twitter post, CHP Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu called on his deputies to “immediately head to Istanbul provincial building” to show their support for Kaftancıoğlu.

Kaftancıoğlu has been credited as the person behind Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu's election success. The CHP’s victory in the 2019 local elections in the megacity ended the 25 year-rule of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its predecessor Welfare (“Refah”) Party.

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