Türkiye objects to Kavala being awarded the “Vaclav Havel Prize”
Turkey objected to the granting of the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize for 2023, presented by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, to the prominent civil activist, Turkish businessman Osman Kavala, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement (Tuesday): “It is unacceptable for the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize to be awarded to a person who was finally convicted by the judiciary in Turkey.”
Imprisonment for life
Last month, the Court of Cassation in Turkey upheld the life prison sentence against Kavala (66 years old), in addition to the 18-year prison sentence against 4 others, including Can Atalay, who was elected as a member of parliament for the Workers’ Party in May. The past, against the backdrop of providing assistance to an attempt to overthrow the government during the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul in May 2013.
Imprisoned Turkish civil activist Osman Kavala (archives – AFP)
The court dropped charges against 3 other defendants, including two who are already in prison and are expected to be released.
The Kavala case has sparked severe disagreements between Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, as the West views it as “politicized.”
The head of the Republican People’s Party, the largest opposition party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, described the ruling as a “great shame,” criticizing the judiciary that participated in showing Gezi’s “struggle” for democracy as a “crime,” through the rulings it issued “in accordance with instructions.” issued to him.”
Human Rights Award
Announcing its award to Kavala, Tenny Cox, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which awards the prize, said: “Today, more than ever, it is important to celebrate the women and men who, with their courage, determination and strength, show us the path to freedom. “Their battle is an example for all of us.”
Turkish academic Aisha Kavala received the award, worth 60,000 euros, (Monday) on behalf of her husband. She read a statement on his behalf in which Kavala dedicated the award to “his compatriots who are illegally detained in Turkish prisons.”
Opponents of Kavala’s ruling demonstrate in Istanbul in April 2022 (Reuters)
The award, named after the former Czech dissident and later President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel, has been awarded by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe since 2013.
Turkish refusal
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said: “It is unacceptable that the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize for 2023 is awarded to a person who has been irrevocably convicted by the judiciary in Turkey… This award is granted under the umbrella of the (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe), which should work under the guidance of democratic principles.” Human rights and the rule of law means ignoring the Council of Europe’s gains regarding the ideal of human rights, and the collective efforts that have been made for many years for this ideal.”
The statement promised that “granting the award to someone against whom a final ruling was issued is an extension of attempts to politicize the law.” He said: “International organizations that are expected to serve the protection of common values should not be used as a tool for such endeavors to set political agendas… With this action, which constitutes a lack of respect for the judicial decision, the reputation and credibility of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has been seriously damaged.”
Last Friday, the opposition leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, visited Kavala and 4 others convicted in the “Gezi” case in Marmara Prison on the outskirts of Istanbul. He described their imprisonment as “illegal.”
Kilicdaroglu said: “It is my duty to make this injustice more clear.” We must stand with those who are subjected to this injustice and who are wrongfully and illegally imprisoned.”
Support and accusations
Kavala, who has French citizenship, was born in 1957 in Paris. He began his studies in a Turkish school in Istanbul before moving to Britain to complete his university education at the University of Manchester. In 1982, he returned to Istanbul after his father’s death to run the family business. He was active in defending Turkish heritage and its cultural diversity through the “Anatolia Cultural Center,” which was closed by the government. He founded the “Elichim” publishing house, and was a supporter of rebuilding historical monuments, including Armenian churches.
Demonstrators raise banners and chant slogans in Istanbul in support of Turkish activist Osman Kavala in April 2022 (AFP)
Kavala’s name emerged in 2013 as one of the main activists in the protest movement against the government’s cutting off part of Gezi Park in favor of developing Taksim Square in Istanbul, which quickly turned into widespread protests against Erdogan, who headed the government at the time before becoming president of the country. An attempt to overthrow him.
Kavala was also known for his defense of the Kurdish and Armenian issues, and in 2015 he participated in commemorating the centenary of the Armenian Genocide in Istanbul, noting that the Turkish authorities still refuse to recognize the massacres that took place against the Armenians during World War I as “genocide.”
In 2017, Kavala called for a boycott of the referendum on amending the constitution, which aims to transition to a presidential system and strengthen the powers of President Erdogan. He was arrested on October 18 of that year.
Erdogan accused Kavala of being an arm of the American billionaire of Hungarian origin, George Soros, and called him “Turkey’s Red Soros,” and pledged that he would not be released from prison as long as he remained in power in Turkey.
The West considers Kavala a symbol of the comprehensive campaign of repression launched by Erdogan after the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016, due to which hundreds of thousands were arrested, and media institutions, schools and universities were closed. It was considered a campaign to suppress any dissenting voice.
The European Court of Human Rights issued more than one decision to release Kavala immediately, but Erdogan rejected it.
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2023-10-11 00:18:09
