Turkey: Trial of jailed philanthropist Kavala nears end

The trial of Turkish activist and philanthropist Osman Kavala entered its final phase on Friday, the latest stage of a case that has garnered international attention and strained ties between Ankara and its Western allies. 

Kavala's trial has been seen as part of a crackdown on critics of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The jailed philanthropist has strongly denied the charges and said on Friday that they were "fabricated unlawfully."

Speaking to the court room via videolink, Kavala said: "This fictional scenario could be useful to pervert the course of justice for a while. However, I believe that this perversion will not last long."

Kavala also said that despite losing four and a half years of his life he took solace in the "possibility that the process I experienced could contribute to confronting the crucial problems in the judiciary of Turkey."

What is the case about?

Kavala and other prominent defendants face accusations of espionage and attempting to overthrow the government, among others.

They are accused of alleged ties to the 2013 Gezi protests and the 2016 coup attempt, both considered by Erdogan part of what he claims is an international plot to topple him.

Prosecutor Edip Sahiner has requested that Kavala be found guilty of attempting to overthrow the government through violence — a conviction that could lead to life imprisonment without parole.

The prosecutor has made the same request for Mucella Yapici — a co-defendant who has twice been acquitted of charges related to the 2013 protests.

The prosecutor has also asked that six others should be sentenced for aiding them and that the cases of eight other defendants — who are all abroad and have not attended hearings — be separated.

Who is Osman Kavala?

The Paris-born Kavala was detained on arrival at Istanbul's airport from a trip to a cultural center in the Turkish city of Gaziantep in October 2017.

He was accused of financing a wave of 2013 anti-government protests. Despite being cleared in 2020, he was arrested again hours later on a charge of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order related to a 2016 coup attempt.

He was also acquitted on that charge — but detained on accusations of espionage in the same case. Critics say those charges were aimed at circumventing a 2019 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) calling for his release.

The 64-year-old now faces charges related to both the 2013 protests and the 2016 coup effort. He has been in jail for four-and-a-half years without a conviction.

Kavala's treatment has prompted the Council of Europe to launch rare disciplinary proceedings against Ankara. That could ultimately see Turkey's membership in Europe's main human rights organization suspended.

Last October, Turkey summoned the ambassadors of 10 countries, including Germany and the United States, after they called for the release of civil society leader Osman Kavala. It had threatened to expel the diplomats after saying it would declare them persona non grata.

kb,rc/wmr (AFP, Reuters, dpa)