01.11.2025 14:40
Businessman Osman Kavala, who is detained in Silivri Prison, has completed his eighth year of imprisonment, and calls for support and justice have come from prominent figures in Turkey. Many well-known individuals, including former President Abdullah Gül, former Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Cemil Çiçek, writer Orhan Pamuk, and various academics, have issued messages of solidarity.
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Businessman Osman Kavala, who is detained in Silivri Prison, has completed the eighth year of his detention, while calls for support and justice from prominent figures in Turkey have emerged.
Osman Kavala, who is detained in Silivri Prison as part of the Gezi Park case, has completed the eighth year of his detention. Many well-known figures, including the 11th President Abdullah Gül, former Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Cemil Çiçek, writer Orhan Pamuk, and academics, have published messages of solidarity for Kavala.
"THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ECHR DECISION WILL STRENGTHEN TURKEY'S REPUTATION"
President Abdullah Gül emphasized that the implementation of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decisions is important both in terms of justice and Turkey's reputation, stating that Kavala has made significant contributions to civil society in the past:
"I met Osman Kavala when he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the early years of the AK Party government. He was among the civil society movements that provided us with the strongest support in the face of the fierce opposition from some (ultra-nationalist) circles against the resolute policies our governments implemented to find solutions to Turkey's deep-rooted problems.
I remember him enthusiastically supporting us in meetings where we shared our legislative changes related to starting negotiations with the EU and raising our legal and political standards, as well as our policies regarding the Kurdish issue, which required courage at that time.
In my view, Osman Kavala was a businessman who, like many sincere conservative businessmen who voluntarily supported the activities of our community's foundations and associations, supported social and cultural initiatives in line with his beliefs.
As the AK Party, with the amendment we made to Article 90 of the Constitution in 2004, considering that the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights cannot be ignored in our legal practices, the implementation of the ECHR decision regarding Osman Kavala will not only rectify the injustice done to him but will also contribute to the image of the Republic of Turkey."
CEMİL ÇİÇEK: "I STAND BY WHAT I SAID IN THE PAST"
Former Speaker of the Grand National Assembly and Minister of Justice Cemil Çiçek reminded that he has argued in the past that ECHR decisions should be implemented:
"Throughout my tenure as Minister of Justice, my nearly eight-year role as Government Spokesperson, and later as Speaker of the Grand National Assembly, I made various statements on this and similar issues. A statement I made regarding the necessity of implementing the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights immediately comes to mind.
In that statement, I mentioned that even though the ECHR decision regarding Abdullah Öcalan was the most difficult decision to implement, it was still implemented. Looking at today, there is no new situation compared to my previous statements. The issue is the same, the rules to be applied are the same, and the courts that made the decisions are the same... Therefore, there is no need to say anything new. I carry the same views as I did in the past."
ORHAN PAMUK: "STAYING SILENT ABOUT HIS IMPRISONMENT ENSLAVES US ALL"
Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk stated that Kavala's imprisonment is not just an individual injustice, but creates a sense of injustice that spreads throughout society:
"It has been eight years since Osman Kavala was taken inside! The endless injustice and oppression he has faced, and our silence about it, make us feel that not only Kavala but all of us are imprisoned like him."
CRITICISM OF "THIRD CATEGORY" BY LAWYERS
Prof. Dr. Adem Sözüer, a faculty member at Istanbul University Faculty of Law, stated that Kavala's situation has turned into a "third category" victimization from a legal perspective:
"In my writing in 'Letters from Outside to Inside,' I stated that no one can be found outside the categories of detainees and convicts in prisons. Therefore, I asked, 'What category will we place individuals like Osman Kavala and Can Atalay, who are forced to remain behind four walls because the decisions of the Constitutional Court or the ECHR are not implemented?' I expressed that keeping individuals in prison despite the decisions of the Constitutional Court/ECHR constitutes the crime of depriving a person of their freedom, thus creating a third category of 'those kept in prison by committing a crime.'
One and a half years have passed, and Kavala's victimization under the third category has reached its eighth year. Moreover, ignoring the decisions of the ECHR and not implementing the decisions given by the Constitutional Court as a result of norm control, not just individual applications, has also become a 'normal practice.'
CALL FOR "NOMINATION FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE"
Former Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertuğrul Günay drew attention to Osman Kavala's contributions to social peace and proposed an international initiative:
The last sentence of the letter he wrote to his friends in the "Freedom for Osman Kavala" initiative summarizes Osman’s life: "Osman Kavala has much more work to do for the good of others."
Indeed, Osman Kavala has dedicated a large part of his life, knowledge, and resources for the benefit of others. He worked for the good of everyone, regardless of belief, origin, class, wealth, language, or religion; he believed that problems could be solved through peace, tolerance, and dialogue, and he tried to create that environment.
Those who know these qualities, his friends, and companions write and draw our feelings, which have now turned into cries of despair on the anniversaries of his ongoing detention. It does not remedy the problem.
Perhaps this time we should do something different; we should raise our cry against injustice with an initiative that will carry it to international dimensions.
Let us nominate Osman Kavala, who has dedicated his life to the good of all people without discrimination, for the Nobel Peace Prize.
As a symbol of all the injustices experienced in the last decade and all the victimizations...
Who knows, at the end of all this chaos and darkness, perhaps in the not-so-distant future, he may also be our candidate for other duties he will undertake "for the good of others."
With his patience and honorable resistance, it suits him very well.
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