Imprisoned philanthropist Osman Kavala has responded to the announcement by MP Tuğrul Türkeş, a deputy with the ruling AKP and the head of Turkey’s delegation to PACE, regarding his intention to visit Kavala in prison.
In a written statement, Kavala acknowledged Türkeş’s “grave personal experiences” and noted that these experiences might have made him sensitive to the suffering of others. Tuğrul Türkeş is the son of Alparslan Türkeş, the founder of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), who himself spent seven years in prison.
AKP deputy to visit Osman Kavala in prison
Last week, he said “I’m the son of a father who spent one-tenth of his life in prison” and criticized unlawful practices in legal proceedings regarding Kavala. He asserted that Kavala’s recent requests for a retrial were rejected without a proper review.
Türkeş's remarks have sparked controversy among nationalist politicians and family members.
MHP Deputy Chair İsmail Özdemir accused Kavala of “undermining Turkey’s unity” and “being involved in dirty networks” and said he should serve his full sentence. Kavala received an aggravated life sentence in 2022 for ‘attempting to overthrow the government’ in the case concerning the countrywide anti-government protests in 2013, known as the Gezi Park protests.
Ayyüce Türkeş, Alparslan Türkeş's daughter and an MP with the Good (İYİ) Party, a splinter movement from the MHP, also opposed the comparison between her father and Kavala, asserting that they should not be seen in the same light.
In response to his sister, Tuğrul Türkeş said “it’s about foreseeing what will happen in Turkey and the international area and how they can be solved, and making a move accordingly.”
The Council of Europe has repeatedly urged Turkey to release Kavala as a 2020 verdict from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). In 2022, the council initiated infringement proceedings against Turkey due to the Turkish courts’ defiance of the European court rulings.
Kavala expressed surprise that Türkeş’s words were interpreted as equating him with Alparslan Türkeş. He suggested that Türkeş likely wanted to convey that his father’s painful experiences, including torture, have given him a deeper empathy for others’ suffering.
He released the following statement through his lawyers:
I was taken aback by Tuğrul Türkeş's statement about visiting me in prison, particularly his words, "I am the child of a father who spent 7 years in prison," being interpreted as equating his late father, Alparslan Türkeş, with me.
It seems clear that Mr. Türkeş, with these words, wanted to express that the severe experiences and suffering his father endured, including being subjected to torture, have made him sensitive to the suffering of others.
People's contributions to society are not of equal value; some hold more significant positions than others. However, for a country governed by the rule of law to function civilly, it must recognize that every individual's life and rights are equally valuable.
When the lives of those seen as "others" or unimportant are considered worthless, there is indifference to the injustices they face. This creates an environment that fosters violence and legitimizes arbitrary punishments.
Osman Kavala's imprisonment
Businessperson and rights defender Osman Kavala was detained on October 18, 2017, in an investigation into the 2013 Gezi Park protests. He was arrested on November 1 and placed in the Marmara (Silivri) Prison.
The justification for his arrest was his alleged attempt to 'overthrow the government' in the context of the Gezi protests and his alleged attempt to 'overthrow the constitutional order' in the context of the July 15 coup attempt.
He was acquitted in the Gezi Trial on February 18, 2020. However, he was not released. On the day of his acquittal, he was re-arrested on charges of attempting to 'overthrow the constitutional order.’ On March 9, 2020, he was arrested again under the same trial, this time on charges of 'political or military espionage'.
The acquittal decision in the Gezi trial was overturned, and he was retried. On April 25, 2022, he was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for 'attempting to overthrow the government'. The appeals court upheld the decision.
Meanwhile, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), in its decision of December 10, 2019, determined that Osman Kavala's detention was arbitrary and based on political motives. Therefore, it ruled that Osman Kavala should be released immediately.
Due to Osman Kavala not being released in accordance with this decision, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe initiated a 'violation procedure' against Turkey.
In its decision on July 11, 2022, the ECtHR Grand Chamber ruled that "[the decision of December 10, 2019] regarding Kavala, which found a violation of Article 5 in connection with Article 18 of the ECtHR, would render any action based on accusations related to the Gezi Park events and the coup attempt null and void."
However, courts ignored and did not implement the legally binding nature of these two decisions.
(AS/VK)
