Turkish philanthropist Kavala describes his two years in jail in letter

Duvar English

Turkish businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala has penned a letter describing his two years in jail, saying that he is being accused without concrete evidence.

Kavala, who was arrested on Nov. 1, 2017 and has been kept in Silivri Prison, faces life in jail.

"The second year of my residence in Silivri has been completed. I'm trying to get through this period of torment with the least harm via the support of my wife, my family and all the friends," Kavala said in his letter.

The prominent philanthropist is accused of being one of the "managers and organizers" of 2013 Gezi Park protests, which took place in Istanbul's Taksim following harsh government response to a group of protesters trying to prevent the cutting down of trees for a large development project planned by the government.

Thousands of people flocked to the streets on May 31, 2013 and the protests lasted for nearly three weeks.

In his letter, Kavala said that the indictment of his case is "far from fulfilling its service to justice."

"The indictment serves the purpose of defaming those who attended Gezi protests and my imprisonment. I think that defending this indictment is to approve the methods of misleading the judiciary and the understanding that creates them," he said, adding that it's clear that those accused were not involved in violent activities.

Kavala also said that contents of illegal wiretapping are used as the main evidence in the indictment.

The philanthropist was the subject of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's speeches at the time of his arrest.

Erdoğan has accused Kavala of “financing the terrorists” during the Gezi protests and described Kavala as the “representative in Turkey” of Hungary-born American billionaire George Soros.