Turkey: Court remands businessman Osman Kavala

ISTANBUL

Businessman Osman Kavala was remanded by an Istanbul court Wednesday as part of a probe into the 2016 defeated coup orchestrated by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), according to judicial sources.

Kavala, who was among nine defendants acquitted Tuesday of criminal charges related to the 2013 Gezi Park protests, was re-arrested later that day after being released from Silivri Prison in Istanbul.

Judiciary procedures involving Kavala were completed at the Istanbul police headquarters following his release, after which he was sent to appear before the court.

He was re-arrested on charge of "attempting to overthrow the constitutional order" but denied all claims regarding his support of the July 15 coup attempt.

A council of judges and prosecutors has launched an investigation into the members of the high criminal court which issued an acquittal decision on the nine defendants in the Gezi Park case.

In the summer of 2013, a small number of demonstrations in Istanbul’s Gezi Park grew into a nationwide wave of protests against the government that left eight protesters and a police officer dead.

The government later said the protests were orchestrated by FETO members who had infiltrated the police and courts.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Turkey accuses FETO of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.