ADVERTISEMENT

Turkish Opposition Member Sentenced to Jail on Terrorism Charge

Turkish Opposition Member Sentenced to Jail on Terrorism Charge

(Bloomberg) -- A Turkish court sentenced a key figure of the main opposition party to nearly 10 years in prison on charges including terrorist propaganda and insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who continues to ratchet up pressure on critics.

The court in Istanbul refused any leniency for Canan Kaftancioglu of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, on grounds she didn’t show remorse during hearings. She won’t be sent to prison before her case is heard at an appeals court, the party said in a text message to journalists.

The court decision comes at a time when Erdogan’s ruling AK Party is increasing pressure on the opposition after he was dealt a stinging defeat at the ballot box earlier this year. Kaftancioglu was seen as an architect of the opposition’s win against the governing party in the June race for Istanbul mayor, a rerun of the original election in March after Erdogan refused to accept the results.

Last month, the Interior Ministry removed elected opposition mayors of several cities for their alleged ties to the PKK, a separatist Kurdish group classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union. Soon after, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu slammed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu for criticizing the mayor sackings.

“These decisions are taken at the rooms of the palace, not at courthouses,” Kaftancioglu said outside the courtroom in Istanbul on Friday, suggesting the verdict bears the mark of Erdogan’s influence over courts. “We will not refrain from fighting and we will not be silenced, no matter what the price is.”

The case against Kaftancioglu was based on messages she posted on social media between 2012 and 2017.

The lira weakened to a session low after the court decision and was trading 0.4% lower at 5.7156 per dollar at 4:37 p.m. in Istanbul. The benchmark Borsa Istanbul 100 Index extended losses to trade 1.3% lower.

To contact the reporter on this story: Cagan Koc in Istanbul at ckoc2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Onur Ant at oant@bloomberg.net, ;Lin Noueihed at lnoueihed@bloomberg.net, Taylan Bilgic

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.