Osman Kavala was given a life sentence in the case of the 2016 coup d’etat. The human rights activist called the verdict illegal
Astrid Fehstedt, director and writer, holds a poster with the imprisoned Osman Kavala
A court in Turkey has sentenced human rights activist Osman Kavaluk to life imprisonment for an attempted coup, the Milliyet newspaper reported. The human rights activist himself called the verdict illegal.
Cavalier of the year 64. He is a businessman, human rights activist and founder of the Anadolu Kültür AŞ Cultural Foundation. This foundation developed projects to assist ethnic and religious minorities, advocated reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia and a peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem.
In October 2017, Kavaluz was detained in Istanbul, and after a month he was taken into custody on charges of involvement in an attempt to overthrow the government. The businessman was accused of supporting mass protests in 2013, which the opposition launched in connection with the decision to cut down trees in Istanbul’s oldest Gezi Park. Subsequently, the environmental action turned into political protests and riots, and the Istanbul authorities refused to build the park.
In February 2020, the Cavalry was acquitted in this case, but they were also charged with another one – about an attempted coup in 2016. In July of that year, a group of military men tried to overthrow the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. More than 290 people were killed, and more than 1,4 thousand were injured in clashes.
Ten countries, including the United States, Germany, France, Denmark and Norway, called Kaval’s arrest politically motivated and in October 2021 called for the release of the human rights defender. After that, Erdogan threatened to expel the ambassadors of these countries from Turkey. The conflict was settled after they published statements promising to comply with the Vienna Convention, which requires diplomats not to interfere in the internal affairs of the host country.
Materials for the article Authors Tags Subscribe to Telegram RBC Stay up to date with the latest news even under lockdown