When, and I hope it is very soon, Osman Kavala is finally freed, the injustice that has been meted out to him will be remembered as one of the most shameful examples of this period in the history of Türkiye.
A human rights defender who has dedicated his life to multiculturalism, dialogue and openness has been removed from society, prevented from making a contribution to arts and culture, to building a better society for eight long years.
How chilling, how utterly wrong to deprive someone of their liberty for no reason other than to send a message to the rest of society: step out of line if you dare and you will be locked up and nothing and no one including the European Court of Human Rights can save you.
When Amnesty International named Osman Kavala and then seven other Gezi Park defendants prisoners of conscience in 2022 after their convictions in their unfair trial, I said: “each day they spend behind bars is an affront to the concept of justice and human rights, principles that the Turkish state has committed itself to upholding but is repeatedly and relentlessly violating.”
A further 1,233 days have passed.
Osman Kavala turned 68 in October. We have not relented in our quest to get him and other prisoners of conscience freed.
We have a lot more to do until we see him and the others walk out free, and end this unbearable injustice. Osman Kavala is not a forgotten prisoner, he may not yet be physically with us, but we maintain our determination that he will be soon.
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