Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court rejected Osman Kavala’s requests for release and retrial despite the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) Grand Chamber’s rights-violation ruling dated 25 August 2026. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office asked for the requests to be rejected, arguing that the Constitutional Court had not yet ruled on Kavala’s application and that domestic remedies had not been exhausted. In line with this view, the court rejected the requests to suspend execution of the sentence, release Kavala and retry the case, and ordered continued execution of the aggravated life sentence imposed on 25 April 2022. Arguing that the ECtHR was not an appellate court, the court said evaluation of evidence fell within the authority of national courts. Kavala was detained on 18 October 2017 and arrested on 1 November. The ECtHR ruled in 2019 and 2022 that Türkiye had violated Kavala’s rights, and in its 25 August 2026 judgment found violations of his rights to liberty and security, a fair trial, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and called for his release. Kavala’s lawyers had the right to appeal the rejection to Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court within two weeks.
13 October 2026
bianet