The Turkish patron Osman Kavala, detained for four and a half years, was sentenced to life in Istanbul on Monday after the defense pleas which had demanded his acquittal for lack of evidence and denounced the relentlessness of power.
Osman Kavala, accused of having tried to overthrow the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will not be able to benefit from any remission of sentence, specified the judges whose verdict, announced after less than an hour of deliberation, was welcomed by boos in the courtroom and the crying of his loved ones.
He was only acquitted of the espionage charge. His lawyers have indicated their intention to appeal. “We expect Osman Kavala to be released immediately,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a statement, denouncing a judgment “in flagrant contradiction to the standards of the rule of law”.
“Maximum severity”, denounces Josep Borrell
This sentence “testifies to maximum severity and ignores the decision of the European Court of Human Rights”, denounced the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell on Twitter. “Respect for fundamental rights and freedoms is more important today than ever,” he added.
“The verdict reconfirms the authoritarian character of the current system (…). There is little or no European perspective for the current Turkey”, reacted two MEPs Nacho Sánchez Amor and Sergey Lagodinsky, in a joint press release.
Human Rights Watch representative Emma Sinclair-Webb, present in court, denounced on Twitter the “worst possible outcome” – “Horrible, cruel and diabolical”.
Amnesty International’s Europe director Nils Muiznieks blasted in a statement a “parody of justice” that “defies common sense”. The Turkish Association of Contemporary Jurists (CHD) called on lawyers to participate in a vigil on Tuesday before the courthouse to protest the verdict. “This government, which has descended on the country like a nightmare, continues to trample on the law”, reacted for his part the leader of the main Turkish opposition party.
Accused of trying to overthrow the government
At the close of the proceedings, Osman Kavala – who has always denied the charges against him – had denounced a “judicial assassination” against his person. “Conspiracy theories, put forward for political and ideological reasons, have prevented an impartial analysis of events and (have) disconnected them from reality,” he said before the judges retired.
Figure of Turkish civil society, Osman Kavala, 64, was accused of having sought to overthrow the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, via the financing of the anti-government demonstrations known as the “Gezi movement” in 2013 and during the coup. Failed state of July 2016.
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His seven co-defendants – who appeared free – were sentenced to eighteen years in prison, accused of having supported him. Human rights activists had hoped for a release that would send a positive signal as Turkey tries to facilitate talks between Ukraine and Russia.
As at each audience, a dozen Western diplomats were present. Nicknamed the “red billionaire” by his detractors, Osman Kavala, born in Paris, was arrested in October 2017.
ats / vajo