Still no charges for Turkey's top philanthropist after year behind bars
Turkish philanthropist and businessman Osman Kavala has spent a year behind bars, but the judiciary has yet to explain why he's still in jail.
![AFP_1AG7BT A journalist stands in front of a poster featuring jailed businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala during a press conference of his lawyers on October 31, 2018. - Osman Kavala was arrested a year ago by Turkish authorities and has still to be charged with an offence. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP) (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2018/11/GettyImages-1055696742.jpg/GettyImages-1055696742.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=WvEYW5Kc)
For those unfamiliar with why Osman Kavala matters for Turkey, a nutshell description would be that he is a civil society leader and philanthropist who stands out as the most prominent link between Turkish civil society and the outside world. The 61-year-old is also a wealthy businessman.
Kavala chairs Anadolu Kultur (Anatolia Culture), an Istanbul-based foundation that, in its own words, aims “to build bridges between different ethnic, religious and regional groups by sharing culture and art.” For more than a year, however, Kavala has been unable to pursue that mission because he has been locked up in a high-security prison in Silivri, near Istanbul.