CHP to hold massive rally in Istanbul on May 21

ANKARA

The main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) will hold a rally in Istanbul on May 21 after Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals has approved a prison sentence of four years and 11 months issued against Canan Kaftancıoğlu, the party’s head of the Istanbul branch.

“We will hold our ‘Voice of the Nation’ rally on May 21 in Maltepe and Istanbul. No matter what they do, they will not be able to take Istanbul, which our nation gave us with the immaculate votes,” CHP spokesperson Faik Öztrak said on May 13.

The “Voice of the Nation” rally, which was planned for Bursa, was moved to Istanbul following the court’s verdict.

The Court of Appeals sentenced Kaftancıoğlu on three different charges, including insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and terror propaganda. The court’s judgment may result in a political ban.

A heavy panel court in 2019 had sentenced Kaftancıoğlu to spend a total of nine years behind bars on five separate charges, including “spreading terrorist propaganda” and “insulting public officials.”

The appeal court has approved three cases while dropping two other charges.