Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals upheld much of the controversial Gezi Park ruling on Thursday, which is named after a central park in Istanbul where 2013 anti-government protests broke out. Included in the ruling was the court’s decision to affirm a sentence of life without parole for civil rights activist and philanthropist Osman Kavala and 18-year sentences for four other activists, as well as overturning three 18-year sentences for other defendants.

The original trial in April 2022 considered the eight defendants’ involvement in the 2013 nationwide anti-government protests. All eight were found guilty of “attempting to overthrow the government of Turkey.” All have denied the charges, claiming that the protests were spontaneous. The court, meanwhile, cited social media hashtags, such as “#occupygezi,” as evidence that the protests were planned. They also claimed that the protests had been planned two years in advance and were funded by professionals.

The trial caused international backlash, with the US State Department and the EU describing it as an attempt to silence dissent. Kavala himself has been at the center of much of it. In July 2022, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Turkey violated an earlier 2019 ruling by keeping Kavala in detention. In 2019, the court previously ruled that Kavala was wrongfully detained, ordering Turkey to release Kavala and pay damages.

The Council of Europe initiated infringement proceedings in 2021 against Turkey over their failure to release him despite a European Court of Human Rights ruling ordering his immediate release. This may lead to suspension from the Council of Europe for Turkey.

The main Turkish opposition Republican People’s Party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu shared an X (formerly Twitter) post following the verdict: 

The [Supreme Court of Appeals] has shared the shame of making the Gezi Park Resistance, which is a struggle for democracy, a “crime” by order. It should not be forgotten that the Gezi resistance is the loud voice of young people shouting for freedom in the history of democracy. No power can silence this voice! This decision is a great shame!

This has led many commentators to criticize protest rights, freedom of speech and assembly in Turkey, along with judicial independence in the country. Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia associate director Emma Sinclair-Webb described the conviction as “baseless,” calling the ruling “a monstrous abuse of the justice system, proof that courts obey the presidency.”