Turkey court acquits rights defender Osman KavalaFebruary 18, 2020 - 18:55 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A Turkish court acquitted leading businessman and rights defender Osman Kavala on Tuesday, February 18 in a highly controversial trial over the anti-government "Gezi Park" protests of 2013, AFP reports. Kavala is chairman of the Anatolian Culture Foundation, which promotes human rights through art, including with neighboring Armenia, with which Turkey has no diplomatic ties. The judge said there was "not enough concrete evidence" against Kavala and eight other suspects that appeared alongside him for the landmark verdict. Kavala received loud cheers from the packed courtroom as he walked free. "This is a trial that should have never happened in the first place," Emma Sinclair-Webb, of Human Rights Watch, said at the courthouse in Silivri, on the outskirts of Istanbul. "This whole process has caused untold misery to those who were so wrongfully targeted, most of all Osman Kavala." Kavala spent more than 800 days in pre-trial detention and became a symbol of what critics say is a crackdown on Turkey's civil society under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in recent years. Seven other defendants, who are fugitives, were not formally acquitted. Prosecutors accused the group of 16 defendants, all leading civil society figures, of seeking to overthrow the government by orchestrating the mass protests that rocked the country in 2013. The demonstrations began over plans to demolish Gezi Park -- one of the only green spaces in Istanbul's centre -- but quickly spiralled into broader protests against Erdogan, then prime minister. Erdogan has called Kavala an agent of US financier George Soros, whose efforts to promote democracy around the world have made him a target for several authoritarian leaders. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |