Osman Kavala, a Turkish businessman and critic of President Erdogan, is still in prison. A court in Turkey decided to refer Kavala’s case to court today. The 64-year-old has now been detained for four years.
The next hearing in the lawsuit is in January. The chance of Kavala being released was slim, despite pressure from Europe. He was at the center of a diplomatic row between European countries and Turkey last month.
According to the Turkish government, Kavala is complicit in the failed coup in 2016. He is also accused of instigating anti-government demonstrations in 2013.
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The imprisoned benefactor claims to be innocent. “The letters of support I receive and the calls for my release from abroad give me strength,” he wrote in response to questions from NOS. The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2019 that Kavala had been wrongly arrested, there was no evidence to support the charges against him and that he should be released immediately.
When the ambassadors demanded the release of the 64-year-old critic in a burning letter, Turkish authorities threatened to deport them. In the end, this plan was not implemented.
