Osman Kavala, the Turkish philanthropist still in the sights of Erdogan

The release of Osman Kavala on Tuesday February 18 was short-lived. Not even time to breathe the outside air. After two years in prison, the famous Turkish patron was acquitted by three judges of the court in Silivri, near Istanbul, of charges of "attempting to overthrow the government" during the demonstrations in Gezi park in 2013. But even before his release to be effective, the Istanbul prosecutor's office issued an arrest warrant against Osman Kavala in the context of another investigation, that linked to the coup attempt against President Erdogan in 2016. Upon his release from prison Osman Kavala was awaited by investigators who took him to the anti-terrorist police headquarters in Istanbul in the evening to place him in police custody, according to information transmitted by the state press agency Anadolu. Prosecutors at the Istanbul court are to rule on a possible arrest and return to prison.

The congratulations and the applause of joy that had sprung up in the Silivri courtroom were quickly showered. Human rights NGOs such as Amnesty International and several European governments had already issued press releases to welcome this court decision. The haste with which Osman Kavala was again placed behind bars surprised. Amnesty calls the decision "cynical and cruel" and calls for the "immediate release" of the Turkish businessman.

"This illegitimate initiative, motivated by a desire for revenge, shows once again that Turkish justice is tightly controlled by political power," Human Righs Watch representative Emma Sinclair-Webb told AFP. The European Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, deplored a procedure "without credibility" which is similar to "ill-treatment". A former Turkish magistrate who practiced at the European Court of Human Rights and now retired, Riza Turmen, considers the situation "insane": "there is no longer the rule of law in this country" , she told the Wall Street Journal.

The feeling of relentlessness is fueled by the launching of an investigation against the judges who pronounced the acquittal in the Gezi trial, to investigate possible flaws in the trial.

The judges who acquitted yesterday in the Gezi trial are now under investigation. https://t.co/gXTGK4EL2V

Erdogan's personal enemy

Osman Kavala, 63, is a philanthropist well known in intellectual circles in Turkey, but also in Europe. He is above all a businessman, born in France in 1957 and heir to his father of one of the most flourishing companies in Turkey. During his studies in Manchester, in Great Britain, he demonstrated against the politics of Margaret Thatcher, according to a long portrait written by Ariane Bonzon on the Slate website. Back in Istanbul, Osman Kavala became known as the "red billionaire", the one who financially supports civil society, through the Anadolu Kultur Foundation, which promotes a dialogue with Kurds and Armenians. He advocates recognition of the Armenian genocide, and seeks to organize a Charles Aznavour concert in Turkey - but fails to do so. He is also at the origin of the publishing house Iletisim, which highlights texts on democracy in Turkey. Osman Kavala does not leave the corporate world, however, and sits on the management committee of Tüsiad, a meeting of big Turkish bosses.

His philanthropic work was known to the general public when he was arrested in November 2017, notes Jasper Mortimer, France 24 correspondent in Istanbul. Among all the defendants in the trial of activists in Gezi Park, Osman Kavala was seen as a personal enemy of the regime. Recep Tayyip Erdogan attacked him several times by name, accusing him of "financing terrorists" and of being "the representative in Turkey" of the American billionaire George Soros, another philanthropist with international patronage. Wednesday, February 19, the day after the acquittal and then the new police custody of the Turkish billionaire, President Erdogan raised the matter by indirectly designating Osman Kavala: "Individuals like Soros are working behind the scenes to sow chaos in provoking revolts in some countries. Their arms in Turkey were imprisoned, but they dared to acquit him yesterday (Tuesday) by resorting to maneuvers, "said the Turkish president. "May our nation be reassured: we will follow this matter closely," he added.

In December, the European Court of Human Rights demanded his immediate release, stressing the absence of "facts, information and evidence" in the indictment. She had exonerated Osman Kavala of any involvement in the 2016 coup attempt, which led to his arrest and that of some 80,000 others. This purge concerned the military as well as higher education, journalists and the publishing community. Other arrests have targeted around 700 people in the past week for their alleged connection to Fethullah Gülen, exiled in the United States.

>> Our webdoc: "Turkey, the great purge"

>> Our exclusive interview: "Gülen meets a man linked to the coup, but rejects Erdogan's accusations"

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