15,000 police deployed to guard CHP rally in Istanbul

Istanbul Governor Vasip Şahin said Sunday that 15,000 police were deployed to safeguard the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) rally in the city's Maltepe district.

Speaking to reporters at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport, Şahin expressed the rally be concluded safe and sound.

The rally will be held later on Sunday at 1800 hours (Turkish local time) following the CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu-led 450 km (280-mile) march from Ankara to Istanbul protesting a judicial decision against one of his party lawmakers.

Following the weeks long march, Kılıçdaroğlu entered Istanbul city on Friday since when the Istanbul governorate provided all kind of security and safety along the march-route, according to Şahin.

The long-march was launched on June 15 by Kılıçdaroğlu following the jailing of CHP lawmaker Enis Berberoğlu, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for giving a newspaper information on the transportation of arms to Syria.

Berberoğlu was convicted of revealing state secrets by passing images to the Cumhuriyet newspaper concerning the search of National Intelligence Organization (MIT) trucks en route to Syria in January 2014.

He is the first CHP deputy to be imprisoned in recent years.