Osman Kavala was detained after Erdogan called him the Soros of Turkey, Kavala said.

The detention of Kavala, head of the public organization Anatolian Culture, occurred within the framework of the government's action to suppress the opposition voice. He and his wife are accused of having links to the Gulen movement supporters, reported Turkish website Demokrathaber.

Osman Kavala is one of the well-known human rights defenders of Turkey. He is known for defending the rights of national minorities.  Numerous books on the Armenian Genocide were published in his printing house in Istanbul, and a lot of discussions on the Armenian Genocide and commemoration ceremonies were organized in his restaurant Jezair.

Osman Kavala: Turkey needs a very sincere dialogue with the Armenians