US Disappointed By Conviction Of Rights Activist Kavala By Turkey - State Department

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2022) The United States is disappointed by a Turkish court's decision to sentence Turkish human rights activist Osman Kavala to life in prison, the US State Department said in a statement.

"The United States is deeply troubled and disappointed by the court's decision to convict Osman Kavala today. His unjust conviction is inconsistent with respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law. We again call on Turkey to release Osman Kavala, in keeping with European Court of Human Rights rulings, as well as to free all others arbitrarily incarcerated," the State Department said.

"We remain gravely concerned by the continued judicial harassment of civil society, media, political and business leaders in Turkey, including through prolonged pretrial detention, overly broad claims of support for terrorism, and criminal insult cases. The people of Turkey deserve to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms without fear of retribution," it said.

The State Department urge the Turkish government to cease "politically motivated" prosecutions and to respect the rights and freedoms of Turkish citizens.

The court on Monday sentenced Kavala, whose release was previously supported by the ambassadors of 10 countries, to life imprisonment.

In October 2021, the embassies of Canada, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the United States called on Turkey to release Kavala, who is accused of being involved in an attempt to overthrow the government. The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of these countries and reminded them of the need to comply with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Following this, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had given instructions to declare these ambassadors personae non gratae. At the end of October, the US embassy in Turkey said it does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. Other embassies followed suit. Erdogan then said the incident was over.