Osman Kavala Behind Bars for 141 Days, Still No Indictment Prepared
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Anadolu Kültür Board Chair, rights activist, business person Osman Kavala has been behind bars for 141 days.
No indictment has been prepared for Kavala yet.
Detention process of Osman Kavala
The process covered by osmankavala.org, which was established to act in solidarity with Kavala, is as follows:
October 18, 2017
Osman Kavala was detained.
October 25, 2017
His detention was extended for one week
October 31, 2017
He was deposed at İstanbul Security Directorate Anti-Terror Branch
November 1, 2017
Kavala was sent to court for arrested without being deposed at İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. İstanbul 1st Criminal Judgeship of Peace ruled for arrest of Kaval by Turkish Penal Code Article 309 (violating Constitution) and 312 (crime against government).
November 6, 2017
An application was submitted to İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office for attorney restriction to be lifted in prison visit.
November 8, 2017
İstanbul 1st Criminal Judgeship of Peace’s rule for arrest was objected to.
December 28, 2017
A petition demanding release was submitted.
December 29, 2017
Personal application was submitted to the Constitutional Court
January 23, 2018
The applications requesting that the detention be examined are collectively rejected.
What happened?Anadolu Kültür Executive Board Chair, rights advocate and businessperson Osman Kavala was taken into custody in the evening hours on October 18 at İstanbul Atatürk Airport upon his return from a meeting of a project planned to be realized in cooperation with Goethe Institute in Antep. He was targeted by some pro-government newspapers following his detention. Speaking at the weekly group meeting of his party, President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan referred to Kavala as the "Soros of Turkey", mentioning his name and said: "Some try to deflect the truth by means of praises attributed to him such as 'He was a good citizen, a media member, an NGO representative'. The identity of this figure called 'Soros of Turkey' has been uncovered. That was his name that came up in Consulate General [investigation]. All connections have surfaced. And there is the same person behind the incidents in Taksim. You see those people again behind funds transfer to certain places. Who are you trying to fool?" His detention also sparked criticism on international level. US thinker and professor in linguistics, Noam Chomsky, United States Department of State Spokesperson Heather Nauert and European Parliament Rapporteur for Turkey Kati Piri denounced Kavala's detention and demanded that he be released immediately. On October 31, a group of 35 academics, writers and researchers coming together under the guidance of the European Network on Political Group Analysis Jean-François Bayart, addressed an open letter to President Erdoğan for Kavala's release. About Osman KavalaKavala was born in Paris in 1957. He graduated from Department of Economy at Manchester University. He has been working as executive at Kavala Group since 1982. He participated in the foundation of Turkey's one of the most prominent publishing houses, İletişim Publications, with Murat Belge. He served as member of administrative boards of business institutions and NGOs such as Turkey-Poland Business Council, Turkey-Greece Business Council, and Center For Democracy in Southeast Europe. Kavala is a member of Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) Administrative Board, Open Society Institute Consulting Board, and supporter of Helsinki Citizens' Assembly, History Foundation and Diyarbakır Culture House. |
(EA/TK)