Turkish entrepreneur, activist and philanthropist Osman Kavala was sentenced today to life in prison for subversion following a controversial trial. Also accused of spying, the 64-year-old had been in jail awaiting trial since 2017.
Founder of the NGO Anadolu Kultur, which promotes dialogue with neighboring countries through cultural exchange, Kavala is accused in connection with the Gezi park protest in 2013 and the failed coup in 2016 against Turkish President Recep Tayyp Erdogan. According to the indictment, Kavala was one of the organizers of the Gezi park protest against a building development plan in Istanbul, which was violently repressed by the police. Several demonstrators were killed. Kavala said he found the allegations “extremely unrealistic and illogical”, adding that the Gezi park protest, in which he participated, was “decentralized” and “leaderless”.
Last October, Erdogan threatened to expel ambassadors from ten Western countries (the United States, Germany, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden) who had asked for Kavala’s release.
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