Turkey: None younger than Osman Kavala

More than four months have passed since the conviction of Turkish businessman and human rights defender Osman Kavala. How is it today;

Osman Kavala should have been free a long time ago according to the European Court of Human Rights. But the Turkish judiciary has had him in custody for years, acquitted him in between and arrested him again later with new charges. At the end of April, the well-known mother of art and defender of human rights, was sentenced to life in prison on charges that he supported the protests in Gezi Park in 2013 and thereby contributed to the failed coup against the government in the summer of 2016. Along with in Kavala, six more supporters of the protests in Gezi Park were sentenced.

Lawyer Kerem Dikmen from Amnesty International recently visited him in the prisons in Silivria where he is being held: “Mr. Kavala has been held for four and a half years. Of course prison is a difficult situation. But the prisoners of the Gezi trial draw strength from the fact that they are not alone. They are strong. But it must not be forgotten that they were deprived of their freedom.”

Kavala’s wife, Ayse Burga, has to live with this as well. She talks on Turkish TV and how she tries to live after the separation from her husband: “It helps me to move forward that we experience everything together. We read the same books, write letters, exchange ideas. We try to keep what unites us despite the difficult circumstances.”

The feeling of humiliation

Along with Kavala, Mytsela Yapitsi was also sentenced to 18 years in prison. Kanzu’s daughter visits her regularly. Gezi’s prisoners should not be forgotten, he says: “It’s nice that they don’t feel abandoned. They also receive visits from lawyers and MPs. They have solidarity. That makes them happy.”

However, her 72-year-old mother no longer has proper medical care. He needs medicines prescribed by different doctors. She is always taken to a hospital in handcuffs and because she finds it humiliating, she doesn’t go anymore. Nevertheless, her daughter has something positive to say:

“Her conviction is a dark chapter not only for family and friends, but for everyone. Illegality is scary. But the solidarity we experience not only makes us stronger, but also our family members in prison.”

Solidarity is declining…

However, the truth is that solidarity is gradually decreasing. Shortly after the conviction of Osman Kavala, there were demonstrations and arrests. Since then there have been only a few protests. But the slogan “Everywhere is Taksim, everywhere is resistance”, remained.

Relatives, friends, like-minded people are trying to keep alive the memory of the prisoners, relying on the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, which has long called for the release of Kavala even if President Tayyip Erdogan considers the case closed for good.

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