Ankara urged the Council of Europe on Thursday night to refrain from any decision against it, according to a Foreign Ministry statement, while Turkey is threatened with a rare sanction for the detention without trial of well-known Turkish businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala. reports AFP.
In a statement, the ministry called on the European institution to drop “any interference” in the Turkish judiciary.
The Council of Europe’s ministerial committee, meeting in Strasbourg (France) on Tuesday, is due to rule on a possible infringement procedure against Ankara on Friday, which refused to release Osman Kavala.
The well-known Turkish businessman, jailed for four years without being tried, will remain in detention at least until a future hearing, scheduled for mid-January, a court in Istanbul ruled last Friday, according to Agerpres.ro.
A prominent figure in civil society, Osman Kavala, accused by the regime of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of seeking to destabilize Turkey, risks a life sentence.
The Council of Europe threatened Ankara in September with sanctions that could be taken at its next session if the opponent is not released by then.
