EU Statement on Osman Kavala: Release Him Without Further Delay

Chair of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights Maria Arena has made a statement on arrested rights defender Kavala. Referring to him as “a man of peace”, she has called on the authorities “to release him without further delay”.

İstanbul

EU Statement on Osman Kavala: Release Him Without Further Delay

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Maria Arena, the Chair of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), has made a call on the authorities in Turkey to release arrested businessperson and rights defender Osman Kavala in the wake of European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruling of right violation.

CLICK - ECtHR: Release Osman Kavala Immediately

Referring to Osman Kavala as "a prominent and a respected leading civil society figure in Turkey", Arena has made the following statement on Kavala, who has been behind bars for 773 days as part of Gezi Trial:

'A man of peace'

"Yesterday's decision of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the case of Osman Kavala is good news for him, for his family and for the Turkish vibrant civil society. Osman Kavala is a man of peace, a bridge-builder and a respected leading figure within Turkey's arts and cultural scene.

"We strongly encourage the Turkish authorities to follow up the Court's decision positively and to release him without further delay."

What happened?

On June 8, 2018, Osman Kavala appealed to the ECtHR via his attorneys, indicating that this pre-trial detention violates that Article 5 (Right to Liberty and Security) of the European Convention on Human Rights and that the verdict of arrest against him was given with political motives.

Anadolu Kültür Inc. Executive Board Chair Kavala is the only arrested defendant in 16-defendant Gezi Trial, which started on June 24, 2019.

About Osman Kavala

Kavala 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.

(PT/SD)