ADDS European Parliament statement
A Turkish court on Friday ordered civil society leader Osman Kavala to remain in jail pending trial on charges that rights groups say are part of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan s bid to stifle dissent.
The presiding judge rejected a defence request to release the 63-year-old in custody without a conviction for more than three years and set a trial date for February 5.
US academic Henri Barkey is being tried in absentia alongside Kavala in a case linked to the 2016 failed coup attempt against Erdogan. I have opposed military coups my entire life and have criticised the army s interference in politics, Kavala told the court by video link as his wife watched from the courtroom.