Osman Kavala receives the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize

Businessman and human rights advocate Osman Kavala, who has been imprisoned for nearly six years due to the Gezi case, has been awarded the 2023 Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize. 

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) announced that Kavala was selected for this year's prize from a narrowed-down list of three candidates. 

At the ceremony held in Strasbourg, the prize was received by Osman Kavala's wife, academician Prof. Dr. Ayşe Buğra Kavala, from PACE President Tiny Kox.

During the ceremony, Prof. Dr. Ayşe Buğra Kavala read a letter sent by Osman Kavala to PACE.

In the letter, Kavala said, "The most important thing is not to lose hope. This does not mean closing your eyes to the horrors of the world. Only those who have not lost their faith and hope can truly see the horrors in the world with clarity."

In September, a five-member award committee met in the Czech capital, Prague, and included Kavala on the three-person list along with Polish human and women's rights activist Justyna Wydrzynska and Ukrainian human rights advocate Yevgeniy Zakharov. (EMK/PE)