Turkey's Kavala denies charges as coup-related trial begins
18/12/2020 12:02
By Ali Kucukgocmen
ISTANBUL, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Prominent Turkish
philanthropist Osman Kavala, already in jail for more than three
years without being convicted, denied charges against him on
Friday as an Istanbul court opened a new trial in which he is
accused of involvement in an attempted coup in 2016.
Ankara's Western allies have raised concerns about Kavala's
detention and the European Court of Human Rights has said it
only serves to silence him. After President Tayyip Erdogan last
month promised judicial reforms, rights activists and opposition
politicians redoubled calls for his release.
Immediately after he was acquitted in February of charges
related to nationwide Gezi Park protests in 2013, Kavala was
newly arrested on charges related to the failed coup in 2016.
"None of the charges in this indictment are based on any
facts, evidence or objective evaluation of a concrete criminal
act," Kavala told the court by video link from prison.
The allegations "are in stark contrast to my world view,
ethical values and the goals of the projects carried out by the
civil society organizations under my supervision," he said.
Critics say the detention points to political pressure on
Turkey's judiciary, which they say has been bent to punish
thousands of the government's perceived opponents in the wake of
the 2016 failed coup. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2CM2MA
While Erdogan's reform pledges prompted speculation that
Kavala and others may be released, the president said last month
he could never defend the philanthropist and called him the
sponsor of the 2013 protests - despite courts clearing him of
that accusation. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2I80C6
In the new indictment, Kavala is accused of collaborating
with Henri Barkey, a prominent Turkey scholar in the United
States. The indictment accuses Barkey of links to the network of
U.S.-based Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Ankara
accuses of orchestrating the coup.
Gulen denies involvement in the coup attempt.
Kavala and Barkey are charged with attempting to overthrow
the constitutional order, for which a conviction carries a life
sentence without parole, and with espionage, which could lead to
up to 20 years in jail.
Barkey has rejected the charges as a "complete fabrication".
The indictment says Kavala and Barkey spoke by phone on Oct.
8, 2016, nearly three months after the failed July 15 coup. It
says that many times between 2013 and 2016, signals on Barkey
and Kavala's phones came from the same area and that they met at
an Istanbul restaurant on July 18, 2016.
Barkey told Reuters in October in an emailed response that
the two had run into each other at the restaurant and chatted
briefly. He added that their phones could easily have been in
the same district of a crowded city at other times without them
meeting. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2H02WM
The ECHR ruled last year that Kavala should be released
since the evidence did not back up the charges. This month, the
Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers also called for his
release.
In October, the Turkish court lifted Kavala's arrest warrant
related to the constitutional order charge but kept him jailed
due to the espionage charge.
Ahead of Friday's hearing, Amnesty International, Human
Rights Watch and other groups called for Kavala's release.
"Implement the binding European Court of Human Rights
decision. Drop the baseless charges against him," Milena Buyum,
Amnesty's Turkey campaigner, said on Twitter.
(Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and
Giles Elgood)
((ali.kucukgocmen@thomsonreuters.com , @alikucukgocmen;
+905319306206; Reuters Messaging: Reuters Messaging:
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