The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday told Turkey to release philanthropist and human rights activist Osman Kavala.

The 62-year-old was arrested in November 2017 and accused of organizing anti-government protests in Istanbul's Gezi Park four years earlier.

The ECHR cited a "lack of reasonable suspicion that the applicant had committed an offense" in its ruling.

The court said Turkey must now "take every measure to put an end to the applicant's detention and to secure his immediate release."

Turkish police violently dispersed demonstrators occupying Gezi Park in 2013

'Politically motivated'

Kavala was accused of making an "attempt to overthrow the government'' by organizing and financing an "uprising" with 15 other defendants, charges he denied.

Human rights groups said the accusation was baseless and aimed at silencing civil society activists. The charge carries a potential life prison sentence.

The 657-page indictment against Kavala and the other defendants lists Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — who was prime minister at the time among the injured parties.

Erdogan has personally attacked Kavala, calling him the agent in Turkey of US financier George Soros.

Kavala is the chairman of the Anadolu Kultur (Anatolian Culture) center, which campaigns for rights and cultural diversity including Kurdish issues.

The 2013 protests began to protect Istanbul's small Gezi Park from development but quickly evolved into wider anti-government demonstrations across Turkey following a brutal police crackdown against mostly peaceful protesters.

ECHR rulings are legally binding; however, Turkey has frequently not implemented them. Ankara's justice ministry declined to comment on Tuesday's ECHR ruling.

The next hearing in Kavala's trial will take place December 24-25.

Read more: Remembering the Gezi Park protests and the dream of a different Turkey

Photographers capture Turkey's unrest and upheavals Between art and documentation The range of themes covered in the exhibition is huge: refugees, the war in Syria, police violence in the Kurdish areas of Turkey, the construction boom and gender issues. Kürşad Bayhan's photos of bottles that have been decorated by Kurdish women symbolize the war-like conditions in southeastern Turkey.

Photographers capture Turkey's unrest and upheavals The Human Chain of Suruç Magnum photographer Emin Özmen focuses on the conditions in the Kurdish regions of Turkey. "Turkey's Hidden Wars" is the title of his black-and-white series. His works show water cannons and tear gas being used by the police and he captures curfew hours. His photo from January 2015 (above) shows Kurds forming a human chain in Suruç to support Kurdish fighters battling the "Islamic State" (IS).

Photographers capture Turkey's unrest and upheavals Celebration despite war Thousands of people came to the Newroz new year's festival in Suruç in March 2015, which took place despite the war. Above, men take a break during their journey. Suruç became a symbol of resistance to the IS. Emin Özmen considers his work to be like a documentary: "In order to find solutions to the massive problems in our region, we need to have a detailed picture of what is happening."

Photographers capture Turkey's unrest and upheavals Refugees from Kobane In his series "Moving Portraits," Barbaros Kayan focuses on the fears of refugees from Kobane who were being housed in camps in Turkey. He wanted to find out what happens when these people return to their home countries. Kayan traveled to Syria and documented the destruction and devastation there.

Photographers capture Turkey's unrest and upheavals New conceptual imagery Barbaros Kayan also photographed Syrians living in the Turkish refugee camps as part of the series. He placed their silhouettes on photos of their hometowns, creating compositions that confront the viewer with new visual themes.

Photographers capture Turkey's unrest and upheavals Gentrification in Istanbul Göksu Baysal mainly focuses on the construction boom and gentrification, especially in Istanbul, in his series "Istanbul Reloaded." The pictures depict violence against nature and highlight the rising demand for energy caused by the aggressive building boom.

Photographers capture Turkey's unrest and upheavals Monotonous gray Under the pretext of making the city safer against earthquakes, a program called "urban renewal" is replacing historic neighborhoods with gray landscapes built of concrete. The local population is often too poor to afford these new apartments and as a result is usually driven out of these areas.

Photographers capture Turkey's unrest and upheavals Gezi - from protest to civil movement What started as a protest against the building boom in Istanbul turned into the Gezi Park demonstrations of summer 2013. In his picture series called "Gezi," Kemal Aslan addresses the resistance of the population against the arbitrariness of the political system. For several weeks, thousands of people in Istanbul demonstrated for freedom and against oppression by institutions.

Photographers capture Turkey's unrest and upheavals Women between autonomy and oppression Since the Gezi protests, the role of civil society has become more prominent, and in particular the role of women. At the same time, however, violence against and murders of women continue to increase steadily. Emine Akbaba's series "Precious Blossom" focuses on women who are unable to free themselves from oppression.

Photographers capture Turkey's unrest and upheavals Women as victims of violence In international comparison, violence against women is extremely high in Turkey. Every other woman reports that she has been harassed on at least one occasion. Between 2010 and 2016, more than 1,600 women were murdered in the country. Emine Akbaba, winner of several photography awards, tries to raise awareness through her work about women's rights, gender equality, and freedom of expression.

Photographers capture Turkey's unrest and upheavals 'Isn't it love?' Turkey's LGBT movement has also gained more attention since the start of the Gezi protests. "Isn't it love?" is the title of the series that Ceren Saner produced, which highlights images taken at queer parties. In this photo compilation, Saner questions the nature of love - not sexuality. In Turkey, the series is only shown during the Pride Week or at private events. Author: Ceyda Nurtsch



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