May 21, 2021
A retrial for Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala and 15 others accused of organizing the 2013 Gezi Park protests opened on Friday, in a case that human rights organizations say is emblematic of Turkey’s crackdown on civil society.
Turkish prosecutors allege that Kavala coordinated and financed the nationwide unrest that erupted in central Istanbul, sparked by a heavy-handed police response to environmentalists protesting the park’s planned demolition. He was arrested in November 2017.
In February 2020, Kavala was acquitted of the Gezi Park-related charge, but rearrested hours later on charges of spying for the United States and aiding in the attempted 2016 coup that sought to topple Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan. Kavala denies all the allegations.
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Cyprus peace group condemns arrests over Love Erdogan sign
Left-wing peace organizations on both side of Cyprusâ ethnic divide have condemned the arrest in the breakaway north of four Turkish Cypriot activists for allegedly damaging signs that professed adoration for Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan
ByThe Associated Press
⢠2 min read
The Associated Press
A woman wearing a face mask walks by a poster that reads Love Erdogan in the Turkish occupied area at the Turkish Cypriot breakaway north part of divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Wednesday, March 10, 2021. A group representing Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot left-wing peace organizations on Friday, March 12, 2021, condemned the arrest of four Turkish Cypriot activists for allegedly damaging signs in breakaway northern Cyprus professing adoration for Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan. (AP Photo/Nedim Enginsoy)