MEPs issue statement on the European Court of Human Rights order for the immediate release of Osman Kavala, human rights defender, imprisoned since November 2017.

Joint statement by Mounir Satouri, Chair of the DROI Sub-committee on Human Rights, Manolis Kefalogiannis, Chair of the Delegation for the relations with Türkiye and Nacho Sánchez Amor, Rapporteur for Türkiye, concerning the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgement on 25 August 2026 on the Osman Kavala case.

“Today, Osman Kavala has spent 3,234 days behind bars—nearly nine years imprisoned in Türkiye despite repeated ECtHR rulings calling for his release.

“We continue to be appalled by the continued disregard for ECtHR rulings shown by the Turkish authorities, and in particular the Turkish judiciary, and their failure to implement them.

“The latest judgement of the Court’s Grand Chamber, on 25 August 2026, found serious violations in Mr Kavala’s case and declared his criminal conviction null and void. We call on the Turkish authorities to implement the judgment and secure Osman Kavala’s release, without further delay, which would demonstrate Türkiye’s commitment to its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, of which it is a member.

“The arrest and continued detention of Mr Kavala constitute a clear violation of the rights of a citizen and run counter to multiple provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights.

“We would also like to recall that another political prisoner, Ekrem İmamoğlu, remains detained in Türkiye in circumstances that raise serious concerns about respect for the democratic will of the people. We expect Türkiye to send a clear signal of its commitment to respecting the rights of its citizens, the rule of law and democratic principles.”

Background

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights delivered on 25 August a landmark judgment concerning Osman Kavala, finding that his continued detention and conviction following an unfair criminal trial violated multiple provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The Court found violations of the rights to liberty and security and to a fair trial, as well as of the freedoms of expression and association. It further found that the proceedings and measures against Osman Kavala were predominantly motivated by the intension to punish him for expressing his views as a human rights defender and to silence him.

This judgment follows a 2019 ruling which found that Osman Kavala’s detention lacked reasonable suspicion and pursued the ulterior political purpose of silencing him, and a 2022 infringement judgment, which established that Türkiye had failed to implement the 2019 judgment in good faith. The latest ruling confirms a prolonged pattern of violations and underlines the seriousness of the failure to ensure effective compliance with the Court’s previous judgments. The Grand Chamber declared Mr Kavala’s criminal conviction null and void and determined that the appropriate measure to remedy the violations is his immediate release at the earliest possible date. The judgment is final and binding under the ECHR and the Turkish Constitution.