The European Court of Human Rights, ECHR, on Tuesday ruled for a second time that Turkey should release the jailed philanthropist and human rights activist Osman Kavala. Judges found that his detention and conviction violated multiple provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights. “The respondent State was required to secure the applicant’s release at the earliest possible date,” the Court said, adding that Turkey must eliminate the consequences of the measures taken against him. It said Kavala’s criminal conviction should be regarded as “null and void” under the Convention’s provisions.
Kavala is a prominent civil society figure and former board member of the Open Society Foundations in Turkey. He has been in custody since October 2017, facing charges in connection with the 2013 Gezi Park protests and the failed coup attempt of July 2016. An Istanbul court sentenced Kavala to “aggravated life imprisonment” – without the possibility of release – in April 2022. He was convicted of attempting to overthrow the government through his support for the Gezi Park protests. The months of demonstrations constituted the largest popular uprising against the authoritarian leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Two appeal courts upheld Kavala’s conviction in December 2022 and September 2023.
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