A Message from Osman Kavala upon completion of one-year in prison

One-year of my time in Silivri has been completed. I believe with each passing day people who accuse me of attempting to annihilate the constitutional order and the government come to realize more and more that I have nothing to do with these accusations. Yet, this realizing process occurs at the expense of my freedom. Months of my lifetime wither away. I want to regain my freedom and rejoin with my family and friends as soon as possible. In the meantime, I find it crucial that the practice of long pre-trial detention, which has become an upfront punishment, comes to an end, as we have been trying to emphasize its drawbacks for years. I hope that my situation will contribute to the comprehension of the harm caused to the citizens and the judiciary of the Republic of Turkey by this failing regime of abusive detention to a greater degree.

I believe one of the most important priorities of the state is restoring the freedoms of the people who are the victims of the approach that does not value human liberty and contradicts the Constitution and the norms of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Osman Kavala

Silivri, 31 October 2018