“Here, the referee of the game is trying to score a goal,” said Riza Kokal, a lawyer for the defendants related to Karsi, a fan group of the Beikta football club in Istanbul. “It is baseless to get involved in the cases. Each file should be sent to its own court.”
Even as Mr. Erdogan, who faces increasingly serious economic and political challenges at home, has sought to improve relations with the United States and Europe, he has repeatedly invoked Turkey’s call for justice. is invoked. Calls for the poor record to be rectified or the release of prominent political prisoners like Mr. Kavala.
Turkey has ignored several decisions of the European Court of Human Rights pushing for the release of detainees like Mr. Kavala. This has prompted human rights organizations to urge the committee of ministers that oversees the court to initiate infringement proceedings against Turkey, a rare action that could lead to suspension from the court.
“Turkish courts and prosecutors have used a variety of tactics to circumvent the authority of the ECHR and the Council of Europe,” Isling readyHuman Rights Watch senior legal adviser said in a statement at the time. “They have repeatedly issued pretense orders, initiated multiple criminal proceedings on the same fact, repeatedly issued custodial decisions, while adopting unreasonable procedural decisions leading to prolonged detention.” Is.”
The Kavala case has caused great damage to Turkey’s position in the United States Congress and across Europe, Aydintasbas said. “A rational actor would have let Kavala go long ago, knowing that Turkey would have to buy some good will at the lowest point of its relations with the West.”
“I think at this point it’s more of a systemic obsession than anything else,” she said. “Everyone knows that Usman, as a member of a civil society, is not a political threat to anyone. He didn’t organize Geezy or a coup and I doubt anyone really believes so. “
The judge said the next hearing would be on November 26.