Turkey: Ambassadors of ten countries invited for talks

The ambassadors of the United States of America, Germany and France are among those invited to the conversation

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A rally in support of Kavala in front of the court, Photo: Reuters
A rally in support of Kavala in front of the court, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey has invited the ambassadors of ten countries for a discussion because of the statement calling for the release of philanthropist Osman Kavala.

The ambassadors of the United States of America (USA), Germany and France are among those invited to the conversation, agencies report.

Earlier, the embassies of Turkey's Western allies called for the immediate release of Kavala, which Turkey described as an unacceptable act.

Kavala has been in prison for four years without conviction, despite the European Court of Human Rights requesting his release.

He was acquitted in 2020 of charges related to protests organized across the country in 2013, but the conviction was overturned this year and combined with charges in another case related to an attempted coup in 2016.

The embassies of Western countries today requested a fair and quick resolution of the Kavala case.

"Constant delays in his trial, including joining different cases and creating new ones after the previous acquittal, have cast a shadow over respect for democracy, the rule of law and transparency in the Turkish justice system," the embassies said.

They, referring to the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights on the matter, called on Turkey to facilitate his immediate release.

The embassies of Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the US posted this announcement on Twitter.

France, Finland and New Zealand were also mentioned in the statement, but Reuters could not independently verify this.

The Turkish Minister of the Interior, Suleiman Soylu, said in response to the statement that Turkey is a democratic state governed by the rule of law.

"The ambassador's recommendations and suggestions to the judiciary in the current case are unacceptable. It cast a shadow on their understanding of the law and democracy," Sojlu pointed out.

The next hearing in the Kavala case is scheduled for November 26.

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