Osman Kavala: ECHR's ruling will give strength to Turkish judges who abide by rule of law

Prominent philanthropist and rights activist Osman Kavala has evaluated the ECHR's ruling regarding Turkey's failure to release him, by saying that he believes the decision will give "strength to those members of the Turkish judiciary who continue to act in accordance with the rule of law despite political pressures."

Tuesday July 12 2022 11:21 am

Duvar English

Turkish philantrophist and rights activist Osman Kavala has evaluated the European Court of Human Rights' (ECHR) recent ruling concerning him, saying that he believes the judgement will give "strength" to Turkish judges who "act in accordance with the rule of law."

"I believe that this decision will give strength to those members of the Turkish judiciary who continue to act in accordance with the rule of law despite political pressures," he said in a statement released on July 12.

"The decision of the European Court of Human Rights which was announced yesterday clearly revealed that the unlawful practice and political influences on the judiciary still continue and the laws are used in an arbitrary fashion with political motives," he said.

#OsmanKavala's statement on the recent ECtHR judgment: "I believe that this decision will give strength to those members of the Turkish judiciary who continue to act in accordance with the rule of law despite political pressures." pic.twitter.com/BeuR1pQ6K9
— Kavala'ya Özgürlük (@FreeOsmanKavala) July 12, 2022

In a ruling released on July 11, the ECHR found that the Turkish government failed to fulfill its obligations to release Kavala in accordance with the court's judgment of December 2019. The decision paves the way for the process that can lead to Ankara's suspension from the Council of Europe (CoE).

In February, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE), which oversees the implementation of the rulings by the ECHR, had asked the court to look at the Kavala case before moving further with the infringement process against Turkey.