EU: Turkey destroyed chances of joining EU over Kavala life sentence
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Osman Kavala's life sentence has brought Turkey further obstacles on the course to joining the EU.
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Turkish opposition activist Osman Kavala
According to the European Parliament on Thursday, Turkey has "deliberately destroyed" its chances of joining the EU by jailing Osman Kavala, an Erdogan critic.
Members of the EU parliament have adopted a nonbinding resolution strongly condemning last week's life sentence by an Istanbul court, on the account of controversial charges of trying to overthrow Erdogan's government.
Kavala has been held without conviction for over 4 years.
“The current Turkish Government has deliberately destroyed any hopes of reopening its EU accession process or opening new chapters and closing open ones under the current circumstances,” the resolution said.
The statement called Kavala's detention "unjust, unlawful and illegitimate."
Read more: Turkey extends Osman Kavala's detention with no legal justification provided
Kavala in 2013 was accused of funding large-scale anti-Erdogan protests - the convict is said to be close to the regime-change instigator US billionaire, George Soros.
Turkey has been attempting to go through with EU membership processes but has known only slow, hesitant processes.
In October 2021, after summoning them, Erdogan ordered the expulsion of the ambassadors of ten countries, including Germany and the United States, who had called for the release of the Turkish businessman, Osman Kavala.
In a statement issued by the West - in other words, the US, Germany, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden - the countries called for a "just and speedy resolution to (Kavala)'s case."
The Turkish President asked, “Is it within your boundary to teach such a lesson to Turkey?"
The 10 ambassadors issued a highly unusual joint statement saying Kavala's continued detention "cast a shadow" over Turkey.
