Court drops CHP’s Kaftancıoğlu’s party membership

ANKARA

An appeal court has revoked the membership of Canan Kaftancıoğlu in the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in line with a political ban imposed on her after she was convicted of terror propaganda and of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Kaftancıoğlu, the Istanbul head of the CHP, was sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison last month. She was freed on probation, but due to her conviction, she has been banned from politics.

Referring to her ban, CHP chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said, “We don’t recognize the political ban. We don’t listen to the court. Canan Kaftancıoğlu is our head of the Istanbul organization. Period.”

In the meantime, the CHP has launched disciplinary actions against its mayors in Bilecik and Bolu provinces, the party said in a statement on June 14.

Bilecik Mayor Semih Şahin has been dismissed from the CHP, the party head of the Higher Disciplinary Committee, Uğur Bayraktutan, said in a statement without giving details. The move from the CHP came after a prosecution over corruption claims against Şahin was launched.

In the meantime, CHP’s main decision-making body has decided to send Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan to the disciplinary committee with the demand of his dismissal from the party. Özcan, whose statements about the refugees in Turkey have been causing discussions in the public, was recently strongly slammed for his attitude towards a female member of the Bolu Municipality.

The CHP kicked a process against him over his attitude toward this female.