Europe Rights Body Gives Turkey Final Warning Over Jailed Philanthropist

The Council of Europe warned Friday that Turkey could soon face rare disciplinary proceedings if it does not release a philanthropist critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in line with a European rights court order

Strasbourg, France, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Sep, 2021 ) :The Council of Europe warned Friday that Turkey could soon face rare disciplinary proceedings if it does not release a philanthropist critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in line with a European rights court order.

Osman Kavala, 63, a civil activist, has been in jail since his arrest in October 2017, facing a string of shifting charges linked to 2013 protests and a 2016 failed coup bid.

He denies the allegations and remains in prison in defiance of a December 2019 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which comes under the Council of Europe, that said Kavala was being held to silence him.

The rights body's committee of ministers, which is responsible for overseeing the implementation of ECHR judgements, said they intended "to commence these (infringement) proceedings in the event that the applicant is not released before" their next meeting, from November 30 to December 2.

It said that the response by Turkish authorities up until now "suggests a refusal by the respondent State to abide by the final judgement of the Court." It is the first such warning Turkey has received that the infringement procedure is imminent.

The proceedings can result in the suspension of the member state's voting rights and membership in the Council of Europe, which Turkey joined in 1950.

Launching the proceedings would need approval from 32 of the Council's 47 member states, which would put Turkey under formal notice.

The case would then be referred to the ECHR for a final ruling.

- Turkey faces 'shame' - Amnesty International's Europe director Nils Muiznieks wrote on Twitter that Turkey had now been put on "formal notice for persistent political persecution".

If Kavala is not freed, Turkey would "face shame of being referred back to" the ECHR, he said.

"The ball (is) firmly in Turkey's court, (it is) high time to do the right thing and release him immediately," he wrote.

Infringement proceedings against a member state for failing to implement ECHR judgements have been used just once before, in a 2017 case involving the Azerbaijani opposition activist Ilgar Mammadov.

Mammadov was released from jail in August 2018.

Erdogan has repeatedly accused Kavala of being the agent of billionaire financier and pro-democracy campaigner George Soros. Turkish courts have repeatedly turned down petitions from his lawyers for his release.

The ministers' committee also urged the release and quashing of the conviction of Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas, formerly the leader of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party, who has been jailed since 2016.

They vowed to re-examine his case at the next meeting.

Erdogan has faced repeated criticism over the crackdown on opposition activists and politicians in the wake of the failed 2016 coup bid.