[spectre] Fwd: Open letter: What did Osman Kavala do?

[Andreas Broeckmann]

Betreff: 	Open letter: What did Osman Kavala do?
Datum: 	Mon, 15 Jun 2020 20:01:38 +0000
Von: 	e-flux <info at mailer.e-flux.com>	


*What did Osman Kavala do?*

Shermin Langhoff, Fatih Akin and other supporters answer this question 
in a solidarity campaign for Osman Kavala

https://artistsunitedforosmankavala.com

What did Kavala do?

Shermin Langhoff, Fatih Akin and other supporters answer this question 
in a solidarity campaign for Osman Kavala, a cultural benefactor 
imprisoned in Turkey.

Under the banner of “Artists United for Osman Kavala,” notable 
representatives from the arts, politics and civil society have begun an 
initiative to raise international awareness about Osman Kavala's case 
and support his allies in Turkey.

In addition to Kavala's friends and collaborators, the supporters of 
“What did Kavala do?” include artists, intellectuals, activists and 
more. They include the filmmakers Fatih Akin and Atom Egoyan, composer 
Zülfü Livaneli and artist Banu Cennetoğlu, author Sibylle Berg and 
actress Katja Riemann, human rights activist Peter Steudtner and the 
general secretary of the German section of Amnesty International Markus 
N. Beeko, Maxim Gorki Theatre Artistic Director Shermin Langhoff and 
Goethe Institute Secretary General Johannes Ebert, other friends of 
Turkey such as businessman Edzard Reuter, as well as politicians 
including Berlin Deputy Governing Mayor and Senator for Culture and 
Europe Klaus Lederer, Members of the Bundestag Claudia Roth and Cem 
Özdemir, and many more.

Under the title “What did Kavala do?” they will illustrate, in daily 
video messages on Instagram, Osman Kavala's devotion to culture and 
social understanding, as well as his significance for civil society in 
Turkey—and beyond its borders.

“Artists United for Osman Kavala” is an initiative from filmmaker Fatih 
Akin and theatre-maker Shermin Langhoff.

Shermin Langhoff, Maxim Gorki Theatre artistic director: “This moral 
courage, this belief in art as a possibility for encounters and 
dialogue, the spaces of opportunity that Osman Kavala created for art 
and utopian thought about peace, freedom and equality, also motivate us 
to keep going. He is our role model. Through our initiative we want to 
raise awareness about Kavala's case on an international level and 
persuade more people to support his cause.”

Filmmaker Fatih Akin: “This action is a bond of friendship from all 
participants, dedicated to Osman Kavala, a humanitarian in prison.”

For the last 946 days, the Turkish benefactor and supporter of art and 
culture Osman Kavala has been imprisoned in Silivri's high-security 
wing. Founder of the Anadolu Kültür cultural foundation, he was 
charged with co-organising the Gezi protests in 2013. After more than 
two years in pretrial detention, Osman Kavala was initially discharged 
in February of this year only to be arrested again, just a few hours 
later, for participating in the attempted coup in July 2016. The 
European Court of Human Rights found his imprisonment to be illegal and 
called for Kavala's release. On May 12, 2020, Ankara's appeal against 
the Strasbourg Court's ruling was rejected.

More about the campaign can be found on 
https://www.artistsunitedforosmankavala.com

Please contact us at berlinforkavala at theater-findet-stadt.de