An Istanbul criminal court ruled on Thursday to keep renowned Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala in custody ahead of a trial on coup-related charges, media reported
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd December, 2021) An Istanbul criminal court ruled on Thursday to keep renowned Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala in custody ahead of a trial on coup-related charges, media reported.
The five-judge panel voted by a majority to keep the businessman and Kurdish minority rights defender behind bars during a monthly review, with one judge dissenting, the state-run news agency Anadolu said.
Kavala has been in jail for more than four years. He was arrested on charges of helping orchestrate a coup attempt in 2016 and financing anti-government protests that began in Istanbul's Gezi Park in 2013.
A demand by US and European ambassadors in October to free the 64-year-old caused a rift and threats of expulsions, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later reconsidered, saying he believed the diplomats' assurances that Turkish sovereign rights would be respected.
