US calls on Ankara to immediately release Osman Kavala

Defence Redefined

Published on 11/02/2021 at 09:41

On Wednesday, US diplomacy called on Turkey to “immediately release” businessman and human rights activist Osman Kavala who, according to Washington, has been falsely arrested on charges relating to the failed July 2016 coup and the 2013 anti-government demonstrations.

“The fraudulent accusations against Kavala, his ongoing detention and the repeated delays in the conclusion of his trial, mainly due to the merging of cases against him, undermine the observance of the rule of law and democracy,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price in a press release.

“We call on Turkey to respect the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights and to ensure that this case is resolved fairly, transparently and expeditiously in accordance with its law and its international obligations,” Price added. Osman Kavala, a well-known figure in Turkey, has been in prison since October 2017. He is charged with life sentence for his “attempt to overthrow the government”, a charge related to his alleged involvement in the failed military coup against Tayyip Erdogan in July 2016, and for “espionage”.

Also read: Celik | “Turkish soldiers are not leaving Cyprus”

This court case was recently merged with another, concerning his role in the anti-government protests of 2013. His acquittal in this second case a year ago was annulled in January by the Court of Appeal. Mr. Kavala denies the accusations against him. NGOs are judging that the government is using him to intimidate civil society.

The 63-year-old businessman is known for supporting cultural initiatives on minority rights, the Kurdish issue and the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation.

President Erdogan often refers to Osman Kavala as the “representative in Turkey” of US-Hungarian billionaire George Soros, a black sheep for various authoritarian regimes around the world. USA researcher Henry Barkey is also on trial in absentia for his alleged involvement in the failed 2016 coup. In the indictment, he is described as a “collaborator” of Mr. Kavala.

In a statement, Ned Price expressed the “concern” of the government of Democratic President Joe Biden for the fact that this American citizen was “involved” in “unjustified court proceedings”.

“We consider the allegations against Dr. Barki to be non-existent and we call on Turkey to resolve his case fairly, transparently and expeditiously,” he said.

Also read: Arab League and Egypt support new Libyan interim government