Turkish human rights activist Osman Kavala has been in prison since 2017. Speaking to DW, he explains why, despite everything, he still has hope. As he points out, he was sentenced to life for financing the protests in Gezi Park with only a megaphone, a plastic table and some cookies.

DW: Why is the government so worried about seeing you go free?

Osman Kavala: My long detention helps create the impression that the fabricated charges against me are accurate. The President (ss: Erdogan) has repeatedly stated that my guilt is the reason for my imprisonment. This statement can also be understood as follows: my imprisonment shows the gravity of my guilt. If I were released from prison, it would be proven that the charges against me were fabricated and that the Gezi trial was a farce.

DW: How did you participate in the Gezi protests ten years ago?

Osman Kavala: When I first learned of the government’s plan to build a shopping center that would completely destroy the park, I joined a campaign with my colleagues to convince the government and the public that this was a bad idea.

My office is right next to the park. So I could watch and talk to the young people who gathered there. I was impressed by their determination to protect the park. Most of them had nothing to do with any organization, and it was probably their first time participating in such an action. During the protests, I brought a megaphone and a plastic table to the park. That – and some cookies – are the only evidence the indictment presented to support the charge that I financed the protests.

DW: How do you feel about the government’s accusation that you were behind the Gezi protests? Something that has never been proven.

Osman Kavala: Putting someone behind bars in Turkey today no longer requires a serious effort to document an alleged criminal act and search for concrete evidence – as long as the government believes someone is guilty.

In my case, Mr. Erdogan started making serious allegations against me before the indictment was even drawn up. I think neither the government nor the prosecutors who prepared the indictment actually believe the absurd claim that I planned and organized the protests.

DW: Do you agree with the argument that by punishing you the government is trying to send a message to the western world?

Osman Kavala: I think my prosecution conveyed several messages aimed mainly at the domestic audience. As also stated in the 2019 European Court of Human Rights decision on my case, my arrest sends a message to civil society activists. It warns them not to engage in activities deemed disruptive by the government. The real message is that if the President finds a person guilty, then neither Turkish nor international law can prevent his prosecution.

DW: Why did you engage in this “minefield”, knowing that it is dangerous to meddle in such matters? You could have focused on making money like many others.

Osman Kavala: Making money is fine. But I think it is a great privilege to live in a society where people of different religions and different ethnicities feel like equal citizens. And where the poor and the rich can enjoy the same public services. The belief that one’s work contributes to the creation of such a society also gives a sense of enrichment – despite the risks involved.

DW: What was your first reaction to the increased life sentence? How do you feel now?

Osman Kavala: I expected a multi-year sentence, as such was necessary to justify my long and arbitrary imprisonment. Little did I know that I would be sentenced to life in prison on the same evidence that the European Court of Human Rights found insufficient to prosecute me.

At previous hearings, the extension of my detention, without proper justification, had left me with a strong sense of injustice. When I heard the verdict, I was deeply saddened by the state of the judiciary and judges in my country. But I try to keep my inner calm and wait for a political change in my country.

DW: The elections are just around the corner. What are your hopes and fears?

Osman Kavala: The fact that six opposition parties from different parts of the political spectrum have formed an alliance and that they have drawn up a detailed program outlining how they intend to govern Turkey together is promising.

I look to the future of Turkey with hope. We have a strong political opposition with deep-rooted tradition and an organized network. There is room for democratic politics and political activity that cannot be suppressed and that would prevent a transition to an authoritarian system – even if the opposition does not win the upcoming elections.