Turkey holds first Kavala hearing after row with Western allies

FILE PHOTO: Lawyers and opposition lawmakers gather in front of the Justice Palace, the Caglayan Courthouse, as a Turkish court began the re-trial of philanthropist Osman Kavala and 15 others over their role in nationwide protests in 2013, in Istanbul, Turkey, May 21, 2021. The banner reads: "Gezi cannot be judged!" REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya/File Photo

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -A Turkish court on Friday began the latest hearing in the trial of philanthropist businessman Osman Kavala, whose case provoked a diplomatic dispute between Ankara and its Western allies after they called for his immediate release.

The trial of Kavala, who has been in jail without conviction for more than four years, has been criticised as politically motivated and symbolic of a crackdown on dissent under President Tayyip Erdogan.