Judge who voted for Osman Kavala's release transferred to Turkey's easternmost city

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The judge who voted in favor of the release of philantropist Osman Kavala during the trials related to the 2013 Gezi Park protests has been reassigned to Ağrı, the easternmost city of Turkey, the T24 news portal reported.

Following the overturning of the acquittal decisions in the Gezi trial by the appellate court 2020, a retrial took place, resulting in Kavala's sentencing to aggravated life imprisonment for "attempting to overthrow thre government."

Sercan Karagöz, the presiding judge who had voted for the release of Kavala and human rights advocate Yiğit Aksakoğlu during the trials, had been removed from the panel handling the Gezi case and assigned to serve as a member of the second panel in the same court.

In a decree published yesterday, the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) reassigned the judge to Ağrı.

While there were similar cases in the past, sources quoted by T24 highlighted the possibility that Karagöz may have requested the transfer himself, and the HSK accepted this request.

Previously, the judge who had expressed dissenting opinion on the life sentence given to Kavala was transferred to Tokat.

(EMK/VK)