ECHR orders Turkey to free Osman Kavala in third binding ruling

Third binding order

The European Court of Human Rights on 25 August 2026 ordered Turkey to immediately release Osman Kavala. The court ruled that the activist's continued detention is unlawful and amounts to inhuman and degrading treatment.

Kavala, a civil-society activist and philanthropist, has been detained for almost a decade. This is the third binding ECHR ruling in his case, the BBC reports.

Compliance in doubt

Turkey has refused to implement the two previous orders. It is not clear whether Ankara will comply with the latest ruling.

The decision intensifies scrutiny of Turkey's human-rights obligations ahead of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers meeting in September.