Osman Kavala, a business man who was arrested for Gezi protests and sentenced life imprisonment, called out of prison in the second year of his imprisonment with a letter. Kavala stated that he was accused without concrete evidence. “The source of the problem has an attitude that considers „heavy accusations without making any concrete evidence and giving the arrest and conviction decisions“ proper. ”.
Kavala stated that he is happy to hear Eren Erdem’s release who he mentiones as his neighbour and added “With the support of my wife, my family and all friends I’m trying to get throuh this period of suffering with the least damage”
His letter goes:
My dwelling in Silivri has completed it’s 2nd year. With the support of my wife my family and my friends, I’m trying to get through this period of suffering with least damage.
While I am in here, hearing my neighbours’, my friends’ release makes me glad. I am so happy of Eren Erdem’s release. My court took three hearings. In my defense, it was clear enough that the accusations were not based on evidence, that the accused did not carry out any activities regarding violence and that there was no organizational link between them.
Defense lawyers presented that this indictment made up of fictious, unlawful phone taps and notice letters, is based on the work of police and prosecutors accused of Gulenism.
This indictment is far from fulfilling the function of serving justice; it serves to discredit the participants of the Gezi Protests and to continue my detention. I think that the defense of this indictment means approving the methods of misleading the judiciary and the understanding that produces them.
I’m sure the judges have seen that it would not be possible for me and other accused to be punished by illegally obtained telephone conversations, which were used as basic evidence in the indictment, but were not evidence. However, there is no base for conclusive evidence for the arrest, which may be valid for short arrests. My imprisonment is being extended and an execution in parallel with the trial process is taking place.
The most important reasons for the preparation of the judicial reform package adopted in the Turkish Grand National Assembly were explained as disproportionate interventions to fundamental rights and freedoms which undermine the legitimacy of judicial savings. In my opinion, the limitation of the periods of detention will not be enough to remedy this grave situation, since the interventions on fundamental rights and freedoms are not the main reason for the detention period; the prolongation of the arrest periods is not the cause of the problem but the result.
The source of the problem is that there is a legitimate attitude to make heavy accusations and to arrest and convictions without concrete evidence which makes law an instrument.
To reach a real Judicial Reform, freedom of the person had to be accepted as the most fundamental human right. If this happens, it will be understood that no one, no politician or public official has the authority to arbitrarily interfere with this divine right.