Turkish Foreign Ministry denounced a resolution by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) which urged Türkiye to release Osman Kavala, the suspect sentenced to life by Turkish courts for his role in the notorious 2013 Gezi Park riots.
The ministry said in a statement on Friday that it would go down as a historic mistake.
"The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) committed a historical mistake through adopting the recommendation and resolution regarding Türkiye on Oct. 12, 2023," the ministry said.
"With this initiative, PACE is instrumentalizing judicial processes for politics and attempting to close the channels of dialogue. This is against the democratic values that constitute the reason for the existence of the PACE," it added.
Emphasizing Ankara's status as a founding member of the Council of Europe, the ministry expressed the country's regret that the council's advisory body, PACE, deviated "so far away from its objectives and values."
"This irresponsibility of the PACE aimed at gaining visibility will be remembered with remorse in the future."
The PACE resolution, approved on Thursday, called for the "immediate release" of Kavala, who was also accused of involvement in the 2016 coup attempt by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).
It called on Member States to “apply, should Türkiye fail to release Osman Kavala, 'Magnitsky legislation' or other existing legal instruments to impose targeted sanctions against those officials, including prosecutors and judges, who are responsible for the unlawful and arbitrary deprivation of liberty of Osman Kavala."
It also urged blocking the credentials of the Turkish delegation to PACE if Türkiye does not release Kavala from prison by Jan. 1, 2024.
PACE most recently awarded Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize to Kavala, to the chagrin of Türkiye.
