A letter from Osman Kavala: 15 months in prison without indictment

In November 2017 we firstly published about the arrest of our colleague and friend Osman Kavala, chairman of Anadolu Kültür in Istanbul: “We have known Osman through many years of collaborating with cultural initiatives in Turkey. We have always appreciated him as a man who brings diverse cultural creators, groups and communities together and strengthens the role of Turkish society in its relations to Europe and other neighbouring regions.”

Now, after fifteen months in prison without indictment we share Osman Kavala’s statement on his imprisonment: “I am still waiting for the indictment on my case to be prepared. I still have not been interrogated by a prosecutor. Requests for my release from prison have been rejected 19 times up to this point, without feeling any need for a court hearing in my presence.” You may access his complete statement on the dedicated website.

We like to also share the report of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights on Osman Kavala, so you can inform yourself.