10 ambassadors who have urged Turkey to immediately release the imprisoned human rights activist Osman Kavala have been called to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ambassadors of the United States, Germany, France, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Canada and New Zealand in Ankara have released a joint statement on Monday, calling on the Turkish judiciary to take action for the immediate release of Kavala, who’s been imprisoned for four years.
The statement said: “The prolongation of the trial through means of constantly involving different cases and creating new ones after the acquittal verdict has cast a shadow on the principles of respect for democracy, rule of law and transparency in the Turkish judiciary system. As the embassies, we believe that the trial ought to be concluded rapidly and fairly in accordance with Turkey’s international obligations and its national laws. We call upon Turkey to respect the European Court of Human Right’s ruling on the case and immediately release Osman Kavala.”
The Turkish Minister of the Interior Süleyman Soylu, on the other hand, reacted on Twitter to the joint statement of the embassies.
He said on Twitter: “The Turkish Republic is a state of democracy and law. It is unacceptable for ambassadors to advise and seek to persuade the judiciary over an ongoing trial. Your advice and your attempts at persuasion cast a shadow on your principles of law and democracy.”