This article covers a recent court ruling in Turkey where a government deemed radical and extremist was given a life sentence for a crime he was previously acquitted of. The individual in question is Osman Kavala who was being charged for organizing and financing a nationwide protest that was protesting the president and government at the time. Osman was previously tried in 2020 and was found not guilty, despite this he was retried recently and was given a life sentence without parole and his constituents were given 18 years with no parole. This is due to an renewed effort made by president Tayyip Erdogan to crack down on those who oppose the current Turkish government. Independent judges have stated that Osmans trial was “fictitious” insinuating that president Erdogan is pressuring the judicial system in Turkey to follow suit with his policies and rule harsher in cases regarding government protest. Backlash followed the ruling with the opposition stating that the courts were no longer independent and were acting as the president’s hand in judicial matters. Turkey’s western allies have even stated that the Turkish courts appear to be government controlled. However, Turkish president Erdogan has continued to insist that the Turkish courts operate independently from the government. Independent courts in eastern Turkey have reviewed the evidence that was brought up during the Osman trial and gave the analysis that the methods used to acquire the evidence was illegal to begin with and that the evidence was not substantial enough to convict Osman. Broadly this will likely breed more resentment from the Turkish people as many will question the integrity of the judicial system and its independance from the broader Turkish government. However, presidential elections are approaching in Turkey as Erdogan is in his final two years of his term and his political opposition will likely capitalize on this resentment and use it as a key point of contention in their candidates campaign.
