osmankavala.org goes online: Everything you need to know about jailed businessman Osman Kavala

A website has recently been set up for one of Turkey’s most prominent businessmen and the chairman of İstanbul-based Anadolu Kültür Association, Osman Kavala, who was put in pretrial detention on November 1 after spending two weeks under police custody.

The website — osmankavala.org — contains reports that have appeared in different Turkish media outlets and some social activities carried out by Osman Kavala and civil society organizations established by him accross Turkey.

An announement that appears on the homepage of the website calls on the Turkish authorities to free the businessman, saying that all the accusiations directed at Kavala is baseless and are clear indicitaion of violation of principles of the state of law.

Detained upon his arrival to İstanbul’s Atatürk airport late on Oct 18, Kavala is accused of “attempting to abolish the constitutional order” and “attempting to remove the government of the Turkish Republic,” according to media.

Media also said Kavala has been under investigation in the same probe that led to the jailing of US consulate employee Metin Topuz over alleged ties to the Gulen movement on Oct 4.

Turkish government accuses the movement of masterminding the July 15, 2016 coup attempt while the latter denies involvement.

Kavala was born in 1957 in Paris and studied economics at the University of Manchester. Upon his father’s passing in 1982, he took over the management of the Kavala Companies.

He was active in the establishment of a number of business organizations in Turkey, including Turkish-Polish and Turkish-Greek business councils and the Association of Tourism Investors.