Turkish activist jailed for trying to overthrow government.
Prominent Turkish rights activist and businessman
Osman Kavala has been jailed pending trial, charged with seeking to
overthrow the government, state-run Anadolu news agency reported on
Wednesday.
Osman Kavala
An Istanbul court remanded Kavala in
custody as part of an investigation into the movement of U.S.-based
cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Ankara accuses of carrying out an
attempted coup in July last year, the agency said.
It
said Kavala was charged with “attempting to overthrow the
constitutional order” and “attempting to overthrow the government of the
Republic of Turkey”.
Kavala, whose Anadolu
Kultur organization is involved in promoting culture and rights, was
detained nearly two weeks ago at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, prompting
expressions of concern from Europe and the United States.
Since
the failed putsch on July 15, 2016, more than 50,000 people have been
jailed as they face trial and some 150,000 sacked or suspended from jobs
in the civil service and private sector.
The
U.S. State Department described Kavala’s initial detention as an example
of a “very alarming trend” of detention of civil society leaders,
journalists, academics and activists in Turkey.
The
Turkish government says the measures are necessary due to the gravity
of the threats it faces. Gulen has denied involvement in last year’s
attempted coup.