Court rules aggravated life imprisonment for Osman Kavala in Gezi case

Punishment rained down in the trial of those accused of financing and organizing Gezi Park actions, including Osman Kavala, who has been imprisoned in Silivri Prison for 1637 days.

Kavala receives aggravated life imprisonment with seven other defendants receiving 18 years

The court panel imposed an aggravated life sentence on Kavala on charges of ‘attempting to overthrow the government”. The defendants without arrest, Mücella Yapıcı, Çiğdem Mater, Hakan Altınay, Mine Özerden, Can Atalay, Tayfun Kahraman and Yiğit Ali Ekmekçi, received 18-year prison sentences.

The court ordered the arrest of the seven defendants, citing the “amount of punishment and the fact that the judicial control measure will not provide the expected benefit from the arrest”.

Decision taken without unanimity

A member judge voted against the decision which were taken by a majority of votes. One of the judges, Murat Bircan, turned out to be a candidate for deputy from the ruling AK Party  in the general election in 2018.

It was also decided to separate the files of the defendants Can Dundar, Ayşe Pınar Alabora, Henry Jack Barkey, Gökçe Yılmaz, Handan Meltem Arıkan, Hanzade Hikmet Germiyanoğlu, Memet Ali Alabora, Yiğit Aksakoğlu and Inan Ekmekci who were abroad. There are arrest warrants against nine defendants.