Former CHP deputy Keskin sentenced to one year in prison for ‘insulting Erdoğan’

ISTANBUL

An Antalya court on Feb. 13 sentenced Adnan Kesin, a former deputy from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), to 11 months and 20 days in prison for “insulting” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a speech he delivered in 2016.

However, the court also ruled for the suspension of the verdict, depending on whether Keskin commits another crime for five years.

Keskin was tried over a 2016 speech in the western city of Denizli, with prosecutors demanding up to two years in jail for him over “insulting the president.” The local penal court had ruled for Keskin’s acquittal but the prosecutor’s office appealed the verdict, taking the case to the upper regional court of justice in the southern province of Antalya, which sentenced him on Feb. 13.

Speaking after the verdict, Keskin denied all charges.

“I did not mention the president’s name in the speech. I ironically spoke about problems that the country is facing,” he said.

He also noted that the terms of the suspension of the sentence effectively mean “he should remain silent” for the next five years.

Keskin served five terms in parliament and was once a minister of public works. He also served as the general secretary of the CHP.