Campaigners marked a Turkish businessman's 1000 days in custody with events to highlight his role as the country’s most high-profile arts patron and human rights defender.
Osman Kavala, 62, was arrested in 2017 on what his supporters said was trumped-up charges of plotting to overthrow the Turkish government after he organised a protest at a park in Istanbul that was earmarked for a shopping centre.
The protest in 2013 escalated and spread to several towns and cities, leading to the deaths of six people including two police officers.
The National reported this month that his plight inspired a short opera about two snails that shared his cell in the Silivri top-security jail outside Istanbul.
The 1,000-day milestone this week was marked by supporters around the world with animations, films, interviews, artworks and the laying out of 1,000 stones in a London park, said campaign group Amnesty International.
“These are not individual expressions of solidarity but part of a collective worldwide call on Turkey to end the relentless crackdown on dissenting voices, and to free Osman Kavala,” said Milena Buyum, the group’s Turkey campaigner.
“We have been deeply moved by the outpouring of creativity in support of Osman Kavala. People from all over the world are determined not to let this darkly symbolic day pass unnoticed.”
The European Court of Human Rights demanded Mr Kavala’s release in December last year after finding he could not reasonably be expected to be seeking the government’s overthrow.
He was briefly released into police custody in February but returned to jail after being accused of other crimes.
Campaigners said the detention of the country’s best-known supporter of culture was aimed at sending a message to critics of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“We will not stop until he walks free and this unbearable injustice ends,” said a representative of the Free Osman Kavala Campaign.
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Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
6 UNDERGROUND
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco
2.5 / 5 stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
