Alwaght- Turkey has detained 13 people including two prominent academics on Friday over links to rights activist Osman Kavala, who was jailed a year ago pending trial for trying to overthrow the government.
Police said those arrested on Friday were accused of working with the a well-known civil society leader Kavala to foment the May 2013 unrest, which began as demonstrations against urban development plans at Istanbul’s Gezi Park and turned into nationwide anti-government protests, Reuters reported.
At least 10 people died and thousands were injured in a government crackdown on the demonstrations, which at the time were the biggest ever staged against the government of Tayyip Erdogan, now president, then entering his second decade as prime minister.
Kavala was accused of attempting to use force to remove the government or prevent it from fulfilling its duties, the police said. Prosecutors ordered the arrest of 20 people in total accused of acting with him. The charge carries a life sentence.
“The individual aimed to spread the Gezi Park incidents across Turkey and create an atmosphere of chaos and disorder in the country generally,” Istanbul police said in a statement.
A lawyer for one of the suspects named the two academics detained on Friday as Turgut Tarhanli, dean of Istanbul Bilgi University’s law faculty, and Bogazici University’s Betul Tanbay, who was elected this year as vice president of the European Mathematical Society.
Among the detainees were also staff of Kavala’s Anadolu Kultur organization, which is involved in promoting culture and rights, including board members Yigit Ekmekci and Hakan Altinay.
Turkish Bar Association Chairman Metin Feyzioglu said he was monitoring developments with concern.
“The violation of basic rights and freedoms by the hand of the judiciary must not be allowed,” he said in a statement. “All illegal practices which will harm Turkey in the international community must be brought to an end.”
