The businessman was acquitted of the charges against him for espionage, because of a lack of evidence.
Kavala has been detained since 2017, when he was arrested while transiting in Turkey. He was first charged with funding protests in 2013. He was acquitted in 2020, but was arrested again immediately after on suspicion of involvement in the failed coup d’état in 2016.
The Council of Europe had ordered Turkey to release Kavala, but this was not followed. Turkey is a member of the council and should therefore have carried out the decision of the European Court of Human Rights to release him.
Many western countries have called on Ankara to release Kavala. The case has put considerable pressure on ties between Turkey and several Western countries, including the Netherlands.
As a philanthropist, Kavala was committed to cultural diversity and activities around Armenian and Kurdish culture, among other things.