The MLSA Legal Unit visited Osman Kavala, Alican Uludağ and Merdan Yanardağ, who are being held in pretrial detention in Silivri. It was learned that all three are in good condition.
Veysel Ok, co-director of the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), and Emine Özhasar, a lawyer from the MLSA Legal Unit, visited businessman and human rights defender Osman Kavala, journalist Alican Uludağ and journalist Merdan Yanardağ at Silivri Prison on March 11, where they are being held in pretrial detention. MLSA lawyers conveyed that all three are in good health and sent their greetings to everyone.
During the visit, Yanardağ underlined the political nature of his case and called for solidarity. Yanardağ, who was arrested on Oct. 27, 2025 and against whom an indictment for “political espionage” has been filed, said he has maintained the same stance throughout this process. Reminding that the case is a political case, the journalist expressed his expectation of solidarity.
Yanardağ will appear for the first hearing on May 11, 2026 in the case in which he is being tried together with Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Necati Özkan on charges of “political espionage.”
DW Türkçe’s Ankara correspondent Alican Uludağ said he expects his indictment to be issued as soon as possible: “I was detained in one day and arrested the same day, yet I have been waiting for an indictment for weeks.” Uludağ sent his greetings to the individuals and institutions that have shown solidarity with him and emphasized that this solidarity is important for him. Uludağ was detained from his home in Ankara on Feb. 19 and arrested on the allegation of “publicly insulting the president,” after which he was sent to the Marmara No. 1 L-Type Closed Penal Execution Institution in Silivri.
Osman Kavala spoke about the upcoming process ahead of him, saying he expects a positive decision in the hearing to be held before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). In December, the Second Section of the ECHR, which was evaluating Kavala’s second application, decided to refer the file to the Grand Chamber. The Grand Chamber is expected to hold a hearing in the coming period; it has been learned that the hearing will take place on March 26. Kavala sent his love to everyone.
MLSA submits third-party opinion to the Grand Chamber
Earlier this year, MLSA submitted a third-party opinion to the Grand Chamber of the ECHR in the Kavala case. In its opinion, MLSA emphasized that the Kavala file is “one of the clearest examples of the deliberate and systematic neutralization of ECHR judgments” and drew attention to the fact that this practice has become systematic in political cases in Turkey.
According to MLSA, the ECHR’s 2019 ruling demonstrated not only the need for Kavala’s release but also the legal invalidity of all criminal proceedings based on the same facts; however, judicial proceedings against Kavala continued with different accusations.
MLSA also recalled the infringement procedure decision issued by the Grand Chamber in 2022 and stated that Turkey did not comply with the decision in good faith, adding that this situation is not coincidental: “Detention and the final conviction have been maintained with the aim of rendering previous ECHR rulings ineffective.”
The association emphasized that the decision to be delivered in the Kavala case will constitute a precedent not only for this file but also for the binding nature of ECHR judgments and the credibility of the European human rights protection system.
Kavala and Yanardağ hearings
Businessman and human rights defender Osman Kavala has been in prison since 2017 despite an ECHR violation ruling, on the allegation that he attempted to overthrow the government by orchestrating the Gezi protests. The Second Section, which reviewed Kavala’s second application, decided on Dec. 16 to refer the case to the Grand Chamber; the application will be examined by the Grand Chamber next year.
Legal experts say that if the Grand Chamber also finds a violation in this application, it will undermine Turkey’s argument that Kavala’s detention has effectively ended.
Yanardağ, meanwhile, will appear for the first hearing on May 11, 2026 in the case in which he is being tried together with IBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Necati Özkan on charges of “political espionage.”
