A Turkish court on Wednesday placed businessman Osman Kavala under arrest on suspicion of links to last year's failed coup.
Kavala was charged with "attempting to overthrow the government" in connection with the July 2016 attempted putsch and "attempting to overthrow the constitutional order".
Kavala is famous for his liberal and pro-EU position in Turkish politics. Despite present controversies with Turkis President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan they had supported him until recent years.
Osman Kavala is the owner of Kavala Group, a conglomerate active in many sectors, and known for its business links with Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). A company linked to the holding had won tenders of the military for missile protection system improvement of F-16 fighter jets. Another company running under the Group, İki Nokta Bilişim Inc., provided geo-coding services to private and public institutions, including Istanbul Police Directorate and NATO.
Kavala also actively participates several pro-liberal NGOs as a board member, including Turkey branches of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly and the Open Society Foundation. The latter is initiated by Georges Soros, a Hungarian-American billionaire and financial speculator known for his international conspiracies and supporting colourful revolutions.
Some commentators link Kavala’s arrest to the recent actions by President Erdoğan and his party against some figures of foreign NGOs, including Amnesty International’s Turkey branch. Erdoğan’s relations with European governments have deteriorated since the failed coup attempt of 2016.
