Amnesty International



Activists around the world will take part in an extraordinary array of
creative campaigns to mark 1,000 days of imprisonment of human rights
defender Osman Kavala, in Turkey.

The Free Osman Kavala campaign has organized a series of activities to
draw international attention to the case. Osman Kavala has been in
pre-trial detention in Silivri High Security Prison in Istanbul since
his arrest on trumped-up charges on 1 November 2017. Amnesty
International supports the campaign.

“Osman Kavala remains in prison despite the ruling of the European
Court of Human Rights that emphatically concluded that he must be
released immediately, finding his prosecution and imprisonment to be
driven by an ulterior motive –silencing him and civil society. We will
not stop until he walks free and this unbearable injustice ends,” said
a spokesperson from the Free Osman Kavala Campaign.

Over the last 1,000 days Osman Kavala has been been held under three
baseless charges. In February 2020 he was acquitted of one charge,
only then to be accused of ‘espionage’ in March. This was a barely
concealed attempt to circumvent a ruling by the European Court of
Human Rights that his detention was unlawful.

“We have been deeply moved by the outpouring of creativity in support
of Osman Kavala across the global. People from all over the world are
determined not to let this darkly symbolic day pass unnoticed,” said
Milena Buyum, Amnesty International’s Turkey Campaigner.

“As well as petitions and campaigning actions, people have created
animations and operas, artworks and films. These are not individual
expressions of solidarity but part of a collective worldwide call on
Turkey to end the relentless crackdown on dissenting voices, and to
free Osman Kavala.”


Links to ACTIONS, EVENTS AND OUTPUTS follow here.