Osman Kavala timeline
Following the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights’ ruling dated August 25, 2026, which found six separate violations, imprisoned businessman Osman Kavala applied to the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court seeking a retrial and his release. His lawyer, Ahmet Köksal Bayraktar, requested that enforcement of the final conviction be suspended. Article 311 of CMK.
European Court of Human Rights timeline
In response to the application based on the article, the court requested the Turkish translation of the ECHR ruling from the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Justice on September 9. The application will be reviewed on its merits after the ministry sends the ruling; if the court complies with the ruling, the retrial will begin. Kavala remained in detention despite the ECHR’s 2019 ruling ordering his release; he was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment on April 25, 2022, and the ruling was upheld by the Court of Cassation in 2023. His individual application to the Constitutional Court has not yet been placed on the agenda.