ECHR orders Turkey to release Osman Kavala

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has formally ordered Turkey to release philanthropist and publisher Osman Kavala "as soon as possible," declaring his life sentence for attempting to overthrow the government null and void. The court ruled that Turkey must pay Kavala over 110,000 euros in compensation. Kavala, who has become a prominent symbol of civil society repression, has been held in the high-security Silivri prison in Istanbul since his initial arrest in October 2017.

Kavala was originally detained for his alleged support of 2013 anti-government protests. Despite being acquitted of charges in 2020 following an earlier ECHR intervention, he was immediately re-arrested on new charges and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment in 2022. The ECHR found that Turkey violated his rights to freedom of expression and liberty.

In response, the Turkish government has rejected the ruling, with the Ministry of Justice labeling the decision biased and an overreach of the court's authority. Presidential advisor Mehmet Uçum claimed the ECHR is issuing politically motivated decisions, even suggesting that Turkey might reconsider its relationship with the European Convention on Human Rights. The Turkish government maintains that the ECHR’s reasoning contradicts its own established jurisprudence.