ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Turkish court said on Monday that philanthropist Osman Kavala must stay in prison, lengthening his detention of more than four years without conviction, in a trial which has added to strains in Ankara’s relations with Western allies.
The court ruled by a majority of votes to keep Kavala in jail for the duration of his trial. It set the next hearing for Feb. 21 and said his detention would be re-evaluated on Feb. 13. Kavala was detained on Oct. 18, 2017.
Human rights groups have said the case has political motivations and is part of a crackdown on dissent under President Tayyip Erdogan. The government rejects this and says Turkey’s courts are independent.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) called in late 2019 for Kavala’s release over a lack of reasonable suspicion that he committed an offence, ruling that his detention served to silence him.
The Council of Europe (CoE) told Turkey in December it was preparing “infringement proceedings” over its failure to release Kavala, a move that could lead to Ankara’s suspension from the body.
Human Rights Watch’s Emma Sinclair-Webb said on Twitter the CoE had given Turkey a final chance to release Kavala before its Feb. 2 session, at which it will send the case back to the ECHR, starting the proceedings.
Erdogan threatened in October to expel the ambassadors of 10 countries, including the United States, Germany and France, after they reiterated the ECHR ruling seeking Kavala’s release.
At that time, the row added to pressure on the ailing Turkish lira amid concerns about the impact on Turkey’s relations with the West. Since then it plunged to record lows at the end of 2021, before stabilising this month.
In 2020, Kavala was acquitted of charges over nationwide protests in 2013 focused on Istanbul’s Gezi Park. The ruling was overturned last year and combined with charges in another case related to a coup attempt in 2016. He denies any wrongdoing.
Kavala, 64, is on trial with 51 others in a combination of three separate cases over the 2013 protests and the 2016 coup attempt against Erdogan and his government.
(Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Jonathan Spicer)
