Istanbul opposition politician on trial slams 'manipulation of justice system' An opposition politician who faces 17 years in prison for a series of tweets criticising the government says her trial is politically motivated, accusing the ruling AKP party of 'manipulation of the justice system'. Canan Kaftancioglu, who heads the secular Republican People's Party (CHP)'s Istanbul branch, is accused of "insulting" President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish state in tweets posted between 2012 and 2017. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES