ISTANBUL, (Reuters) – Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala was jailed for life without parole yesterday after he was convicted of trying to overthrow the government by financing protests, in a case that Europe’s top court and Western powers say is politically motivated.
Kavala, 64, had been in jail for 4-1/2 years without a conviction and denied the charges he faced over the Gezi protests, which began as small demonstrations in an Istanbul park in 2013 and snowballed into nationwide anti-government unrest.
The United States said it was “deeply troubled and disappointed” by the conviction.
It is “unjust” and “inconsistent with respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
The court also sentenced seven others to 18 years in jail each for aiding an attempt to overthrow the government and ordered their arrests. The court said it decided to acquit Kavala of espionage charges due to lack of evidence.
The courtroom was packed with more than 200 people, including opposition members, Western diplomats and rights activists.
The defendants’ supporters yelled at the judges as the ruling was read out. Many of them cried as the seven defendants, including 71-year-old architect Mucella Yapici, were taken into custody.
“This is just the beginning; the struggle goes on,” the crowd chanted.
In his last words before the verdict, Kavala said the prosecutor’s request for a life sentence was based on “evidence that is not evidence” and amounted to “an act of assassination by use of the judiciary”.
Kavala played a major role developing Turkish civil society before he was detained in 2017, from a publishing house that aimed to foster social change after Turkey’s 1980 coup to boosting culture via his Anadolu Kultur organisation.
