“No offense, law and order exist in this country”: The Turkish president defends the decision of the Istanbul court, which sentenced the cultural patron to life imprisonment.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has sharply rejected international criticism of the conviction of cultural promoter Osman Kavala. The Turkish judiciary made the final decision regarding a person, which bothered “some circles”, said Erdoğan on Wednesday evening in Istanbul, without naming Kavala. “No offense, law and order exist in this country,” he said.
Erdogan once again referred to Kavala as a “Turkish Soros”. In the past, President Kavala had already accused Kavala of having financed the Gezi protests with the help of US investor and philanthropist Georg Soros. Erdoğan sees the anti-government demonstrations in 2013 as a foreign conspiracy. The trigger for the largely peaceful protests was a construction project in the center of Istanbul. The action expanded into nationwide demonstrations against the authoritarian policies of then Prime Minister Erdoğan. He brutally suppressed the protests.
After the verdict, demonstrators took to the streets in Istanbul on Tuesday.
(Photo: YASIN AKGUL/AFP)
With the decision on the “Gezi actions”, the Turkish judiciary also gave those with “similar intentions” a lesson in law and justice, Erdoğan said. Kavala was sentenced to life imprisonment by an Istanbul court on Monday in connection with the Gezi protests. Seven other people, including well-known architect Mücella Yapici and lawyer Can Atalay, received 18 years for aiding and abetting.
The verdict had provoked sharp international criticism. Chancellor Olaf Scholz described it on Wednesday as a “devastating signal for Turkish civil society”. The United States also expressed its deep concern, calling Kavala’s conviction “inconsistent with respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.” “We call on Turkey again to release Osman Kavala,” the US State Department said.