Turkey lashes out at US over calls to ‘immediately’ release Kavala

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Ankara lashed out at the US on Thursday over Washington’s calls for the “immediate” release of jailed philanthropist Osman Kavala, imprisoned since 2017. 

The US State Department on Wednesday called on Ankara to “immediately” release Kavala, whose continued detention has also drawn condemnation from major human rights organisations.

“The specious charges against Kavala, his ongoing detention, and the continuing delays in the conclusion of his trial, including through the merger of cases against him, undermine respect for the rule of law and democracy,” it said. 

Judicial procedures against Kavala are “ongoing” and “must be respected,” said Turkey’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy on Thursday, who blasted Washington’s statement as “inconsistent with the rule of law.”

A Turkish court ordered the release of Kavala, 63, in February 2020, after acquitting him on charges linked to the 2013 protests against Erdogan sparked by a plan to redevelop Istanbul's Gezi Park.

But before he could leave jail, Kavala was placed under arrest again hours later on separate charges of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order in the failed 2016 coup against Erdogan.

His freedom had been "usurped" by fictitious charges that have kept him in jail without a conviction for more than three years, AFP reported Kavala telling a judge last week.