Turkey Violates Rights of Imprisoned Activist Osman Kavala, European Court Rules

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Tuesday that Turkey violated the rights of jailed businessman and activist Osman Kavala. The court said his continued detention, trial, and aggravated life sentence breach several fundamental freedoms. In its second ruling on Kavala’s case, the ECHR’s Grand Chamber found violations of the right to free expression, freedom of assembly, and the right to a fair trial. The court also said Turkey violated Kavala’s right to liberty and security. The judges went further, stating that Kavala’s life sentence without the possibility of parole amounts to a breach of the prohibition on torture and inhuman treatment. The court’s decision is binding under European law. It calls on Turkey to release Kavala immediately. Kavala has been in prison since 2017. He was acquitted in 2020 but was not freed. In 2022, a Turkish court sentenced him to life in prison without parole on charges linked to nationwide protests in 2013 and a failed coup attempt in 2016. He denies all charges.