Turkey: demonstrations of support for Osman Kavala, sentenced to life imprisonment
Rally in support of Osman Kavala, the day after his life sentence.
Here in Istanbul, April 26, 2022. AFP - YASIN AKGUL
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
To cries of "
resistance everywhere! "
“, Hundreds of people gathered in the main cities of Turkey on Tuesday evening April 26, the day after the life sentence of the patron Osman Kavala for “attempting to overthrow the government”.
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With our correspondent in Istanbul
,
Anne Andlauer
In Istanbul, the demonstrators found themselves not far from the symbolic place Taksim, scene in 2013 of the
protests of the park of Gezi
against the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The heavy prison sentences inflicted on
Osman Kavala
and his seven co-defendants illustrate the heavy screed that has fallen on Turkish civil society.
To meet in the street, to be seen and to be heard, for Kemal Akdemir, a worker, to denounce the verdict which overwhelms Osman Kavala and his co-accused, is also to fight for the right to demonstrate in Turkey: "
This verdict is an attempt of intimidation of power towards all those who do not vote for it.
The question is whether you internalize this intimidation or not.
The police roadblocks around us are part of this attempt at intimidation.
»
Protesters who denounce a climate of fear
The demonstrators chant the slogans of Gezi, this protest movement of the summer of 2013 that Osman Kavala is accused of having financed.
Deniz, a lawyer, scans the crowd.
She fears that the verdict has partly achieved its goal: “
Gezi had gathered more than three million people from all over Turkey.
As you can see, we are not even
3,000 gathered here today.
»
Serdar Erbas, member of the Workers' Party (TIP), also denounces a "
climate of fear
": "
People are afraid to publish a simple message on Twitter, so demonstrate... So I can partly understand the fears of those who do not dare demonstrate with us.
I hope this climate of fear will end, this power will fall and we can rebuild a beautiful Turkey.
»
The elections are due to take place in June 2023. Until then, the debate is likely to grow within the opposition between those who call for mobilization in the streets, and those who fear that the authorities will use the slightest movement for their benefit. of dispute.
►
To read also: Turkey: the opposition positions itself in the face of the frustrations of the population
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Turkey
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
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