Turkey probes judges who acquitted activists including Kavala

Turkey’s Council of Judges and Prosecutors has launched an investigation into three judges who acquitted rights activist Osman Kavala and eight other activists of terrorism charges, local media reported.
The panel of three judges on Tuesday cleared Kavala and eight of his co-defendants of terror-related charges. Hours after he was acquitted, Kavala was rearrested, sparking criticism from the European Union and the Council of Europe.
Kavala is now accused for attempting to overthrow the Turkish constitutional order through his alleged connections to a coup attempt in July 2016 against country’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government. Ankara blames the US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen’s network for the 2016 coup.
The move of the government-appointed body came hours after Erdogan spoke out against the defendants’ acquittals over their alleged role in the 2013 violent protests of civil disobedience against the government. He also accused Kavala of being the “Turkish leg” of US billionaire George Soros, whom Erdogan blames for behind insurrections in many countries.
“As a candidate country and long-standing member of the Council of Europe, Turkey is expected to apply the highest democratic standards and practices, including the right to a fair trial”, said a spokesman for the EU Commission’s external affairs service.
All of the defendants have rejected the accusations against them.