Statement by Osman Kavala

May 4, 2022

On April 25, 2022, fellow citizens who embrace democratic principles and love their country were sentenced using the means of the judiciary. As stated in the dissenting opinion of one of the judges in the panel, this decision is based on unlawfully collected evidence that do not incur reasonable doubt that any crime was committed. Thus, the decision is arbitrary, and taken in violation of legal norms under political pressure.

The court decision was attempted to be justified with the statements claiming I am supported by Soros. It is a simple fact that I did not organize the Gezi protests. It is futile to link Soros or any other external actor to the fact that hundred thousands of our fellow citizens took to the streets against antidemocratic practices with a sense of justice, demanding freedom. The Gezi trial unveiled the state of the judiciary; further exposing the great danger posed to fellow citizens by manipulation of the judiciary in such terms.

Osman Kavala