The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell
"deeply regrets"
the life sentence of Turkish patron Osman Kavala, accused of trying to overthrow the Turkish government, and called on Tuesday for his release.
“We deeply regret this verdict, which comes less than three months after the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe launched an infringement procedure against Turkey for refusing to implement the legally binding judgment of the European Court. human rights,”
Josep Borrell said in a statement.
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Read alsoTurkish patron Osman Kavala sentenced to life imprisonment
“The Court ruled in December 2019 that the detention of Mr Kavala took place in the absence of sufficient evidence that he had committed an offence. She considered that his arrest and pre-trial detention pursued an ulterior purpose, namely to silence him and to dissuade other human rights defenders from carrying out legitimate activities,”
recalled the head of EU diplomacy.
“Turkey, as a member of the Council of Europe, has an obligation to implement the decisions of the Court.
Its persistent refusal to implement these rulings heightens EU concerns about the Turkish judicial system's compliance with international and European standards
,” he warned.
“We call on Turkey to release Osman Kavala. In these difficult times, protecting and defending our common values, in particular the protection of human rights, is more important than ever
,” he concluded.
Detained for more than four and a half years, Osman Kavala, 64, has always denied the charges against him.
He denounced a
"judicial assassination"
against his person and the influence of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his trial.
