Days before Osman Kavala’s appearance in a Turkish court on Friday, his wife, Ayse Bugra, gave an exclusive interview to FRANCE 24. She spoke about the accusations faced by the so-called "red billionaire", a prominent member of Turkish civil society who has been behind bars without a sentence since October 2017. He risks life in prison if he is found guilty of "attempting to overthrow the government".
Osman Kavala, a philanthropist and entrepreneur nicknamed the "red billionaire" by the pro-government press for his left-wing activism, is set to appear in an Istanbul court on April 22. He is accused of "attempting to destabilise Turkey" during the failed coup of 2016. In the same file is a different charge related to another event: Kavala is also accused of organising and financing the Gezi protests of 2013. He has been in jail since October 2017 and risks spending the rest of his life there.
