Error occured during this request! Please try again later.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A court in Istanbul has decided to extend the detention of renowned activist Osman Kavala despite international calls for his release. France and Germany have slammed the ruling.
The 63-year-old civil society leader was arrested in November 2017 on charges of overthrowing the constitutional order of Turkey and espionage. He was accused of financing a 2013 protest in Istanbul, but was acquitted. Now, he is accused of taking part in a failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016.
Kavala was retried in Istanbul on Friday, with the court rejecting his request to be released. The next hearing is set to take place on August 6, reported pro-government Daily Sabah.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has called for his release in the past.
The embassies of France and Germany in Turkey are among the missions that have foreign diplomats attending Kavala’s hearings. Both embassies said in a joint statement, reported by AFP, ahead of the hearing that the Parisian-born activist has been behind bars despite ECHR’s call for his release.
"Turkey's treatment of Osman Kavala... (is) not worthy of a country governed by the rule of law or a long-standing member of the Council of Europe," they said.
A number of human rights organizations called on the Council of Europe in March to take action against Turkey after its failure to abide by an order from the ECHR to release the philanthropist.
The 63-year-old civil society leader was arrested in November 2017 on charges of overthrowing the constitutional order of Turkey and espionage. He was accused of financing a 2013 protest in Istanbul, but was acquitted. Now, he is accused of taking part in a failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016.
Kavala was retried in Istanbul on Friday, with the court rejecting his request to be released. The next hearing is set to take place on August 6, reported pro-government Daily Sabah.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has called for his release in the past.
The embassies of France and Germany in Turkey are among the missions that have foreign diplomats attending Kavala’s hearings. Both embassies said in a joint statement, reported by AFP, ahead of the hearing that the Parisian-born activist has been behind bars despite ECHR’s call for his release.
"Turkey's treatment of Osman Kavala... (is) not worthy of a country governed by the rule of law or a long-standing member of the Council of Europe," they said.
A number of human rights organizations called on the Council of Europe in March to take action against Turkey after its failure to abide by an order from the ECHR to release the philanthropist.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment