Members and supporters of Turkey's Republican People's Party (CHP) gather in the district of Maltepe, Istanbul, for a rally against the upholding of the sentence that sees Canan Kaftancıoğlu banned from politics and sentenced to almost five years in prison.

Canan Kaftancıoğlu is the head of the Istanbul branch of the Republican People's Party. A prominent opposition figure, she is accused of
insulting a public official, publicly insulting the Republic of Turkey and the Turkish President.

Many artists, activists, and opposition leaders joined the rally in support of Kaftancıoğlu.

At time-code 2.36, CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu says: “Now they are preparing to take one more step and close down the parties. They ban concerts, they cannot even tolerate Kurdish music. They are dragging the artists, who are the great plane trees of this country, to court. There is a word that does not fall into the tongue of Saray and its company: that is ban, that is ban".

The clip was filmed yesterday (May 21).

This footage was filmed and produced 21 May 2022.

The prison sentence given to Republican People's Party (CHP) Istanbul Provincial Chairperson Canan Kaftancıoğlu was upheld by the Supreme Court of Appeals and Kaftancıoğlu was banned from engaging in politics. Against this, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Istanbul Maltepe at the call of CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu at the Voice of the Nation rally. In the rally attended by many deputies, artists and political party opposition leaders made a show of strength against the government.

02:35:24 - 03:02:02
CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu: “Now they are preparing to take one more step and close the parties. They ban concerts, they cannot even tolerate Kurdish music. They are dragging the artists, who are the great plane trees of this country, in the court corridors. There is a word that does not fall into the tongue of Saray and its company: That is ban, this is ban, that is ban."