Turkish police arrest 13 in probe of activist
18 November, 2018
Turkish police detained 13 people including two prominent academics on Friday under an investigation into jailed rights activist Osman Kavala, accusing them of following him in a bid to unseat the government through mass protests in 2013.
Kavala, a well-known civil society leader, was jailed a year ago pending trial for trying to overthrow the government, a process which authorities say started with those demonstrations and culminated with an attempted coup in July 2016.
Police said those arrested on Friday were accused of working with Kavala to foment the May 2013 unrest, which began as demonstrations against urban development plans at Istanbul’s Gezi Park and turned into nationwide anti-government protests.
At least 10 people died and thousands were injured in a government crackdown on the demonstrations, which at the time were the biggest ever staged against the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, now president, then entering his second decade as prime minister.
Kavala was accused of attempting to use force to remove the government or prevent it from fulfilling its duties, the police said. Prosecutors ordered the arrest of 20 people in total accused of acting with him. The charge carries a life sentence.
“The individual aimed to spread the Gezi Park incidents across Turkey and create an atmosphere of chaos and disorder in the country generally,” Istanbul police said in a statement.
Human rights groups and European Parliament members have repeatedly called on NATO member Turkey to release Kavala. An indictment against him has not yet been issued.
On Friday, the European Union called for the immediate release of “all those detained without due process.”
“Repeated detentions of critical voices and the continued widespread pressure on civil society representatives run counter to the Turkish government’s declared commitment to human rights,” the EU’s foreign policy service said.
The U.S. State Department said it was “very concerned” about the detentions and urged Turkey to respect “human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to release those held arbitrarily.”
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