The ambassadors of Germany, France, the United States and seven other states, calling on Turkey to release the imprisoned Turkish businessman, human rights activist, philanthropist, founder of the cultural foundation Osman Kavala, will be declared by Ankara persona non grata. As stated on Saturday, October 23, during his speech in the city of Eskisehir, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave instructions to do this “as soon as possible” to the Foreign Ministry of his country.
In international diplomacy, the assignment of a classification such as persona non grata is usually accompanied by expulsion. However, the head of the Turkish state did not name a specific date. Erdogan accused the diplomats of “obscenity” and said that “they should leave here if they do not understand Turkey.”
Ankara calls diplomats’ appeal “unacceptable”
The heads of diplomatic missions of ten states – Germany, France, USA, Canada, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and Norway – made a joint appeal earlier this week, in which they called on Turkey to release Osman Kavala, who has been in prison for four years. without conviction. Ankara described the treatment, which is unusual for diplomatic practice, as “unacceptable.”
The human rights defender was originally arrested on charges of financing and organizing anti-government protests in Istanbul’s Gezi Park in 2013. In February 2020, the court acquitted him of this charge. On the same day, the prosecutor’s office issued a new arrest warrant, stating his possible participation in the attempted coup in Turkey and the overthrow of Erdogan, as well as in espionage activities in July 2016.
In January 2021, the Court of Appeal overturned the first acquittal. If Osman Kavala is now convicted on espionage charges, he faces life imprisonment. The next hearing in the Kavala case is scheduled for November 26.
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