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Osman Kavala (undated photo)
Photo: HANDOUT / AFP
The Osman Kavala case continues to weigh on diplomatic relations between Germany and Turkey.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has summoned the ambassadors from Germany and nine other countries to issue a statement calling for the human rights activist to be released immediately.
"Ambassadors who make a recommendation and a proposal to the judiciary in an ongoing process are unacceptable," wrote Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu on Twitter.
The demand casts a shadow on the diplomatic representatives' understanding of law and democracy.
The appointed ambassadors include diplomats from Germany, the United States and France as well as foreign representatives from Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland and New Zealand, as the state agency Anadolu reported.
"The ongoing delays in Kavala's trial, including the amalgamation of various cases and the creation of new allegations after an acquittal, cast a shadow over respect for democracy, the rule of law and transparency in the Turkish judicial system," the embassies had previously stated.
They wanted a fair and quick solution.
Council of Europe wants to take action against Turkey
The businessman and patron of culture Kavala has been imprisoned in Turkey for four years without having been convicted.
The European Court of Human Rights demands his release.
The Council of Europe has also announced that it will initiate proceedings against Turkey if Kavala is not released.
Kavala was acquitted of charges related to nationwide protests in the summer of 2013 last year.
But the verdict was overturned and linked to charges of attempted coup in 2016.
Human rights organizations see the trials against Kavala as an example of the crackdown under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against those who think differently.
During the Gezi protests, activists first demonstrated against the development of Gezi Park in the center of Istanbul.
The action expanded into nationwide demonstrations against the authoritarian policies of the then Prime Minister and now President Erdogan.
He had the Gezi protests brutally suppressed.
jok / Reuters
