ISTANBUL — After more than three years in prison without conviction, Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala’s appeal for release was rejected by the nation’s Constitutional Court Tuesday, which ruled the prominent businessman’s detention had not violated his right to liberty and security.

The ruling extends Kavala’s imprisonment during court proceedings in which he faces espionage-related charges, ignoring a 2019 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for his immediate release as well as numerous calls since then by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers on Turkey to implement the ECHR decision.

The ruling comes days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated calls to implement “democratic and economic reforms” in the country, casting doubt on whether such promises will be impact high-profile trials, including that of Kavala and the jailed former Co-chair of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party Selahattin Demirtas.

“His current detention is illegal,” Emma Sinclair-Webb, Turkey director for Human Rights Watch, told Al-Monitor regarding Kavala’s case.