The 65-year-old businessman and philanthropist was accused of trying to topple the Erdogan government for allegedly funding anti-government protests in 2013
An appeals court in Istanbul upheld today the sentence, in life imprisonment, of the Turkish midwife Osman Kavala, who was accused of attempting to overthrow the government.
The judges also imposed on his seven co-accused the same sentences, i.e. 18 years in prison, that had been imposed on them in the first instance last April.
The 65-year-old businessman and philanthropist was accused of trying to overthrow the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the failed coup in the summer of 2016, because he allegedly financed the anti-government protests of the so-called “Gezi movement” in 2013.
His other seven co-accused were facing charges of providing support to Kavalas.
Kavala and the other convicts can now appeal to the Turkish Court of Cassation.
His three lawyers said in their pleas that there is no evidence of their client’s guilt, while they also denounced the cruelty of the state in this marathon trial, which they consider a political prosecution.
Kavala was arrested at the end of April and he himself complained that he was being subjected to a “judicial murder”. His case caused tensions in Ankara’s relations with Western European countries.
The Council of Europe has repeatedly called on Turkey to immediately release Osman Kavala, following a ruling that Ankara violated the European Convention on Human Rights.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
