A far-right opposition leader jailed in Turkey has said he now believes businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala is innocent, expressing regret for not supporting him earlier, according to a journalist who visited the politician in prison.
Ümit Özdağ, leader of the anti-refugee Victory Party, has built his political career on an ultranationalist platform and has frequently clashed with liberal and civil society groups.
Journalist Bahar Feyzan said on Friday that the statement came during a prison visit to Özdağ, quoting the politician as saying, “I understand better now that Osman Kavala is innocent. I wish I had stood by him sooner.”
The comment marks a rare show of empathy across Turkey’s sharply divided political spectrum and drew attention due to the speaker’s longstanding nationalist views.
Özdağ has been in pretrial detention since January 21 on charges of inciting hatred after delivering a speech that harshly criticized the government.
Prosecutors are seeking up to seven years, 10 months in prison under Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalizes inciting hatred among the public, with additional penalties because the alleged offense was committed through press and broadcast.
He is currently being held at Marmara Prison, formerly known as Silivri Prison, a high-security facility west of İstanbul where many political prisoners are jailed.
Kavala, a prominent figure in civil society, has been imprisoned since November 2017 despite a European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruling calling for his immediate release.
He was initially arrested over allegations that he attempted to overthrow the constitutional order and later faced charges including espionage and links to a 2016 coup attempt.
In 2022 Kavala was acquitted of espionage but sentenced to aggravated life for allegedly trying to overthrow the Turkish government through his involvement in the 2013 Gezi Park protests, a verdict widely condemned by international human rights organizations.
The ECtHR and the Council of Europe have repeatedly ruled that Turkey is violating its international obligations by keeping Kavala in prison without sufficient legal basis.
Kavala’s detention has become a symbol of the country’s democratic backsliding and has strained Ankara’s relations with its Western allies, particularly in the European Union.
As of April 2025 Kavala has spent more than 2,700 days behind bars, despite widespread calls for his release from governments, legal experts and human rights groups.