ISTANBUL: A Turkish court on Sunday jailed pending trial of an Istanbul academic, Osman Kavala, following raids on professors and activists deemed to have links to a prominent financier of civil society activities who has been imprisoned for the past year.

Turkish prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 20 people, with 14 suspects rounded up in the raids. Twelve of the suspects were released after giving testimony to police while one other is still being questioned.

But Yigit Aksakoglu, a staff member of Istanbul’s private Bilgi University who specialises in education research, was remanded in custody ahead of trial, the NTV television channel and other Turkish media reported.

Those released included prominent mathematician Betul Tanbay of Bogazici University and Turgut Tarhanli, professor of law and human rights at Bilgi University.

Kavala is chairman of the Anadolu Kultur (Anatolian Culture) foundation, which aims to overcome differences within Turkish society through culture and the arts and has sought to reach out to neighbouring Armenia.

All suspects, including those released, remain accused of “creating chaos and mayhem” and “seeking to overthrow the government” in 2013 anti-government protests triggered by the planned development of Istanbul’s Gezi Park.

Kavala worked closely with foreign missions on civil society projects and his jailing has alarmed Turkey’s Western allies as well as raising concerns of a clampdown on freedom of expression under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2018