Osman Kavala appeared calm on Monday when he emerged from 600 days in pre-trial detention to take the stand in a landmark trial in which he faces a possible life sentence. “I’ve never been someone who sees overthrowing the government as a goal,” said the 62-year old Turkish civic leader, as he stood in a cavernous courtroom packed with lawyers, diplomats, and hundreds of observers.
But he is accused of doing just that -- masterminding the Gezi Park protests in 2013 in Istanbul to bring down the government. In a trial that mirrors many aspects of the deep-seated crisis in rule of law and human rights in the country, Kavala and the 15 other defendants are up against a state apparently determined to usurp the judicial system for the political end of silencing its critics.
A fantastical fiction
As if to underline this display of the authorities’ raw power, the trial is being held in a high-security jail complex in Silivri, a prison town on the outskirts of Istanbul. Armoured trucks guard the courtroom, while inside, ranks of soldiers in full combat gear flank the defendants. The size of a major sports hall, the courtroom is one of the largest in Turkey.
