Human rights court condemns Turkey over Osman Kavala case

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has delivered a significant verdict against Turkey, condemning the country's handling of the case involving Turkish intellectual and cultural promoter Osman Kavala. The Strasbourg-based court concluded that Turkey's prosecution and continued imprisonment of Kavala constitute serious human rights violations and ordered his immediate release.

The ECHR judges determined that Kavala's right to a fair trial was breached and raised serious doubts about the independence of Turkish courts. They found that Kavala had merely exercised his rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, rights that were disregarded through an arbitrary interpretation of Turkish law leading to his conviction. Furthermore, the court ruled that Turkey violates the prohibition of inhuman treatment, as Kavala has no realistic prospect of release or a legal review of his life sentence.

Kavala has been held in Silivri high-security prison since 2017 and was sentenced to life imprisonment in April 2022 for attempting to overthrow the government in connection with the 2013 Gezi protests. This sentence drew widespread international criticism. The ECHR had previously ruled in December 2019 that Turkey had committed human rights violations and demanded Kavala's immediate release from pre-trial detention, a demand Ankara failed to meet. The Council of Europe subsequently launched an infringement procedure against Turkey over its non-compliance.