ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Thousands gathered for a rally in Istanbul on Saturday to protest the conviction of leading Turkish opposition politician Canan Kaftancioglu for insulting the president and the state. Demonstrators in the central district of Maltepe chanted songs and waved the opposition and national flags. Kaftancioglu, who was sentenced to just under five years in jail, heads Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) Istanbul branch and is one of the strongest voices in it. In 2019, she played a significant role in municipal elections in the city that saw the CHP take over the mayoralty, which h…