ANKARA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) – Turkey’s foreign ministry on Tuesday called on ambassadors in ten countries, including the United States, to issue a joint statement demanding the release of imprisoned activist and businessman Osman Kavala.
The ministry said the joint statement on an ongoing lawsuit was “contrary to diplomatic practice and was unacceptable”.
The ambassadors’ move “seeks to politicize the judicial process, put pressure on the Turkish judiciary and violate the independence of the judiciary,” ministry officials told envoys, according to a written statement from the Foreign Ministry.
The Turkish officials told the ambassadors that they have a “sincere and double-minded approach”, as “they only focus on matters concerning Turkey and in particular try to keep the Kavala case on the agenda at all times while some other countries do not implement European Court decisions for the human rights. “
The ambassadors said in a joint statement on Monday that “the continued delays in his trial, including merging various cases and creating new ones after a previous acquittal, cast a shadow over respect for democracy, the rule of law and transparency in the Turkish judicial system. “
“Together, the embassies in Canada, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the United States believe that a fair and swift solution in his case must comply with Turkey’s international obligations and domestic laws. the human rights ruling on the issue, we demand that Turkey ensure his urgent release, they added.
The Council of Europe announced in September that it would launch infringement proceedings against Turkey unless Kavala is released before its next cabinet meeting in November.
Kavala was acquitted in 2020 of charges related to nationwide Gezi protests in 2013. But his sentence was overturned and combined with a probe into a 2016 coup attempt on the charge of espionage.
Source: sn.dk