Turkish businessman Kavala re-arrested after acquittal in trial over 2013 protests

Turkish businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala has been re-arrested and taken to police headquarters in Istanbul, hours after being acquitted over his alleged role in landmark protests in 2013, state media reported on Wednesday.

The Gezi Park protests were a major challenge to then-premier, now president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The trial had been criticized by Western allies, and Kavala’s acquittal, along with that of eight others, came as a surprise.

Kavala’s re-arrest, over allegations that he was involved in a 2016 attempted coup, in turn prompted expressions of frustration from foreign observers, opposition lawmakers and rights activists, Reuters said.

Kavala had been held in jail for more than two years over the Gezi case. He was accused of attempting to overthrow the government by organizing the protests, during which hundreds of thousands marched across Turkey against Erdogan’s plans to redevelop a central Istanbul park.