Turkey Court Rejects Appeal for Protest-Linked Businessman

Turkey's highest court on Wednesday rejected an appeal to end the pre-trial detention of prominent businessman Osman Kavala, accused of links to anti-government protests, state media reported.

Kavala, an internationally-renowned philanthropist in custody since 2017, is accused of links to mass protests triggered by controversial development plans for an Istanbul park. 

The 2013 "Gezi Park" movement turned into a major challenge to then-prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is now president.

On Wednesday, the constitutional court rejected Kavala's claim that his time in custody was a violation of his human rights, according to state news agency Anadolu.

Amnesty International's Turkey campaigner Milena Buyum said the "inexplicable" ruling "rubs salt into the wound of injustice" and that Kavala's "rights have been abused".

Amnesty called for the charges against Kavala, who chairs the Anadolu Kultur (Anatolian Culture) Foundation, to be dropped and for his immediate release.

"The outlandish allegations against Osman Kavala are an attempt to rewrite history and to silence one of Turkey's most prominent civil society figures," Buyum said in a statement.

She added: "All eyes now turn to the European Court of Human Rights, which is currently considering Osman Kavala's case and must urgently remedy this travesty of justice."

After more than a year without an indictment, Turkish prosecutors issued the paperwork in March 2019, seeking life imprisonment for Kavala and 15 others on charges of attempting to topple the government.

His trial begins on June 24.