Osman Kavala

The Workers' Party of Turkey, TIP, holds a protest in Istanbul. Photo: Workers' Party of Turkey

"We demand respect for the will of the people of Hatay," the TIP said in a statement.

"What is happening is against the constitution in every way. End this illegality and enforce the laws from which you derive your authority," it added.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has harshly criticized some prominent Western countries, including the United States, for closing their consulates and other missions in Istanbul over terror threat, accusing them of staging a psychological warfare against Türkiye.

The rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Türkiye are not fair and politically motivated, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, underlining that his government will continue to take measures to improve the quality of judicial services for the Turkish people.

Osman Kavala. Photo: Council of Europe.

The measures indicated by Turkey "did not permit it to conclude that the State Party had acted in 'good faith' in a manner compatible with the 'conclusions and spirit' of the Kavala judgment," the court wrote.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has strongly criticized Germany for its reaction over the Kavala case, accusing the prominent European nation of interfering in the internal affairs of Turkey.

Turkey on April 29 summoned German ambassador over a row sparked by a Turkish court's decision to sentence businessman Osman Kavala to life in prison.

Germany summoned Turkey's ambassador in Berlin on April 29 to protest a sentence of life in prison that a Turkish court handed to businessman Osman Kavala. 

Turkey is a state of rule of law and has independent justice, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, defying internal and external criticisms regarding the aggravated life sentence given to businessman Osman Kavala in the Gezi trial.

Defying police intervention, thousands of protesters on Tuesday took to the streets of Istanbul to condemn a Turkish court's decision to jail for life philanthropist and human rights advocate Osman Kavala and others for their roles in the Gezi Park Protests in 2013, which the court insisted was a coup attempt.

İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener on April 27 criticized a court verdict that sentenced businessman Osman Kavala to life imprisonment without parole, saying the ruling disturbed the conscience of society.