A court in Istanbul on Monday sentenced Turkish civil rights activist and philanthropist Osman Kavala to life in prison without parole after finding him guilty of attempting to overthrow the government. Kavala was accused of financing mass protests in 2013. Seven other defendants not yet in custody, including 71-year-old architect Mücella Yapici, were given prison terms of 18 years each for aiding Kavala and the court ordered their immediate arrest. Kavala and the other defendants denied the accusations and are expected to appeal the verdicts.
Western governments and rights groups have slammed Kavala’s trial as politically motivated, said his conviction has based on flimsy evidence and called the sentences handed down to him and the other defendants unjust.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Kavala’s verdict “blatantly contradicts the constitutional standards and international obligations that Turkey commits itself to as a member of the Council of Europe and EU accession candidate.” The European Court of Human Rights said in 2019 that Kavala’s rights had been violated and called for his immediate release.
The rights group PEN America called the verdict a “dark moment for Turkey” while Nils Muiznieks, Amnesty International’s director for Europe, said it amounted to a “travesty of justice of spectacular proportions.”
Turkish opposition legislator Ozgur Ozel, speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, accused the court of bowing to the wishes of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, saying, “Justice did not prevail here today — the will of the person who rules this country was carried out.”
Kavala, 64, is the founder of a nonprofit organization, Anadolu Kültür, which promotes peace and dialogue through cultural and artistic projects.