Turkish patron Osman Kavala was sentenced to life imprisonment in Istanbul on Monday, twice accused of trying to overthrow the Turkish government. Brave and admired, it has become a symbol of oppression against civil society in recent years.
Turkish patron Osman Kavala was sentenced to life imprisonment in Istanbul on Monday, twice accused of trying to overthrow the Turkish government. Brave and admired, it has become a symbol of oppression against civil society in recent years.
The 64-year-old billionaire has always denied accusations of trying to overthrow the government by funding demonstrations against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. When the current president became prime minister, hundreds of thousands of citizens took to the streets of the country to protest his authoritarian policy in the so-called “Gezi movement” in 2013.
Over the years, other accusations have been added against Kavala, such as participating in the coup attempt in July 2016. The boss was imprisoned for four and a half years in the high-security Silivri prison near Istanbul.
Kavala’s three defense lawyers noted the lack of evidence and perversion of the process, which they called “openly political” on Monday. Seven defendants, who appeared in court at the same time as philanthropists, were charged with providing support and sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Over time, the pro-government press called Kavala a “red billionaire” and compared him to the Hungarian-American George Soros, hated by authoritarian leaders around the world. Like him, the Turk has become the number one enemy of the government in Turkey. Erdogan himself has repeatedly accused him of being “Soros’ representative in Turkey” and of “financing terrorists”, without providing any evidence.
minority rights
Born in Paris in 1957, Kavala studied economics at the University of Manchester in England before taking over the family business in Turkey with the death of his father in 1982. It is famous for supporting cultural projects related to minority rights such as the Kurdish issue and the Armenian issue. -Turkish reconciliation increasingly devoted itself to publishing, art and culture.
The billionaire philanthropist is described by his circle of friends as humble and kind, yet direct and determined. In 1983, he opened the İletişim publishing house, one of Turkey’s most prestigious publications. One of the main missions of the Anadolu Cultural Foundation, which Kavala established in 2002, was to provide the Turkish community with the opportunity to discuss difficult issues such as the Armenian Genocide through cultural projects. He converted an old tobacco warehouse he inherited to host exhibits. In the center of Istanbul, in Depo, an important cultural center.
“I’ve never seen him reject an interesting idea, whether it’s a literary or a cinematographic project,” says filmmaker Asena Günal.
Kavala was even cleared of charges that he financed the Gezi protests in February 2020. However, the decision was overturned and he was arrested a few hours later as part of the July 2016 coup attempt investigation.
“He’s the last person to support a coup. It’s outrageous to see him being the target of an incomprehensible political game,” says Emma Sinclair-Webb, director of the Turkey office at Human Rights Watch.
Ankara does not bow to pressure
In February this year, the European Court of Human Rights filed a lawsuit against Turkey; this is an extremely rare decision that could result in sanctions against the Turkish government if Kavala is not released. The measure had no effect in Ankara.
Last month, the Turkish prosecutor’s office sought a life sentence for Kavala without the possibility of release. The decision was considered a “judicial murder” by the philanthropist. Last Friday (22), he had already announced that nothing would make up for losing four and a half years of his life in prison. “The only thing that can console me is to help expose the serious errors of Turkish justice.”
(With information from AFP)
source: Noticias
