European Court of Human Rights orders release of Osman Kavala

On August 25, 2026, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) issued a ruling demanding that Turkey release philanthropist and publisher Osman Kavala "as soon as possible." The court declared his life sentence for allegedly attempting to overthrow the government invalid, ordering the Turkish state to pay him more than 110,000 euros in compensation for the violation of his freedom of expression.

Kavala has been held in the Silivri high-security prison in Istanbul since his initial arrest in October 2017. His legal ordeal began following his support for the 2013 anti-government protests during Recep Tayyip Erdogan's premiership. Although he was acquitted of charges in 2020 following an earlier ECHR intervention, authorities immediately re-arrested him on new allegations, leading to his 2022 life sentence. Kavala has consistently denied all accusations brought against him throughout the years of litigation.

This decision marks a significant escalation in the ongoing legal dispute between international human rights bodies and the Turkish judiciary. The ruling emphasizes the systematic suppression of civil society in Turkey, with the court viewing the repeated arrests and subsequent life sentence as a targeted campaign against the activist.