Germany summoned Turkey’s ambassador in Berlin on Friday after a Turkish courtroom earlier this week sentenced distinguished philanthropist Osman Kavala to life in jail with out parole.
What do we all know to date?
A German Overseas Ministry spokesperson mentioned the federal government made clear its place on the problem with the Turkish envoy throughout talks on Friday morning.
German Overseas Minister Annalena Baerbock has urged Turkey to launch Kavala instantly.
The spokesperson urged different EU member states to take comparable measures towards Ankara. They mentioned the decision towards Kavala stood in “blatant contradiction” to Turkey’s membership within the Council of Europe.
How did Turkey react?
Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag lashed out on the determination by Berlin, saying it was an “open try and intrude in Turkey’s inner affairs.” Turkish state-run Anadolu Company reported that Turkey summoned Germany’s ambassador to Ankara in retaliation.
Turkey has accused of Kavala of financing anti-government protests in Istanbul’s Gezi Park. The Turkish authorities additionally alleges that Kavala is tied to a 2016 coup try.
Each the 2013 Gezi Park protests and the 2016 coup try had been challenges to the rule of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has strongly criticized Kavala and labeled him “Turkey’s Soros.”
Erdogan finally let riot police squash the Gezi Park protests. Within the aftermath of the coup try, tens of 1000’s of individuals within the army, police and civil service had been arrested for alleged ties to the supposed mastermind, Erdogan’s former ally in exile within the US, Fethullah Gulen.
Kavala, who made his fortune within the publishing enterprise, has rebuked the allegations. The 64-year-old was arrested by Turkish authorities in Istanbul in 2017 after he returned from a visit within the southern metropolis of Gaziantep and has been saved in custody since then.
The US and rights teams equivalent to Human Rights Watch additionally condemned Turkey’s determination at hand Kavala a life sentence. Amnesty Worldwide has labeled the decision a “devastating blow” for human rights.
wd/msh (AP, Reuters)