In his role as Rapporteur on Türkiye for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), John has been granted access to visit arrested philanthropist and businessman, Osman Kavala. John will be joined by fellow Rapporteur, Boriss Cilevičs. The visit will take place in early January and they will be the first PACE members to see Mr Kavala. Earlier in 2022 the Turkish Justice Ministry rejected their request for the visit.
John said: "This is good news and I thank the Turkish Justice Ministry for allowing this visit to go ahead. The aggravated life sentence given to Mr Kavala is outrageous and defies the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). We must remember that Mr Kavala was sentenced along with seven co-defendants and has become the symbol of Turkey’s defiance of the Court.”
The European Court of Human Rights is based on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) which was created by the Council of Europe. It entered into force in 1953 and protects the human rights and fundamental freedoms of every person in every member state of the Council of Europe.
By not having ensured Osman Kavala’s release after the Court’s first judgment in his case, Türkiye has failed to fulfil its obligations under the Convention. The Council has, therefore, launched infringement procedures against Türkiye over Mr Kavala’s continued arrest.
The philanthropist was acquitted of charges of attempting to overthrow the government in 2020, but was arrested again before he could be released, this time over charges of espionage based on the same evidence. On April 25, Mr Kavala was sentenced to life in prison while seven other prominent rights advocates were issued similarly harsh sentences.
John added: "Resolving the Kavala case lies in the hands of the Turkish judicial system and it is Turkish courts that have the capacity to find a legal solution which complies with the Strasbourg ruling without political pressure or undue interference”.
