ISTANBUL (AP) — The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday criticized Turkey's courts over the imprisonment of prominent philanthropist Osman Kavala, saying it highlighted a “systemic problem” that was “marked by the detention and prosecution of political opponents, human-rights defenders and journalists.”
Kavala, 68, the founder of a nonprofit organization promoting peace and dialogue, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2022 on charges linked to 2013 protests and a coup attempt in 2016.
Human rights advocates and opposition groups say President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ’s government has weaponized the judiciary to target critics and rivals after more than two decades in power.
Reiterating a call for Kavala’s release it first made in 2019, the European court said his conviction should be regarded as “as null and void.” In a statement, the court said Turkey had violated several of Kavala’s fundamental rights.
The violations “also revealed structural shortcomings which affected the guarantees of independence and impartiality of the judiciary, and which were likely to facilitate the exerting of direct or indirect influence by the executive branch on certain judicial decisions, particularly in cases with a sensitive political dimension,” the France-based court added.
The Turkish government maintains that the justice system is impartial and independent. Erdogan has dismissed the court’s previous rulings, saying Turkey would not “recognize those who do not recognize our courts.”
Kavala was first detained in 2017 on accusations that he financed protests four years earlier that attempted to overthrow the government. He was acquitted in 2020, but was swiftly rearrested on charges linking him to Turkey’s 2016 coup attempt.
His acquittal was overturned and the case was merged with that relating to the coup attempt. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole in April 2022.
The case led to a diplomatic crisis in 2021 when Erdogan threatened to declare 10 foreign ambassadors, including the U.S., French and German representatives in Ankara, persona non grata after they called for Kavala's release.
FILE - Turksih philantropist Osman Kavala is photographed in Istanbul on April 29, 2015. (AP Photo/File)
AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 25, 2026--
Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has agreed to acquire McCoy, a trusted Dutch SAP transformation partner for mid-market companies. Upon closing, McCoy will become part of Accenture Edge, Accenture’s recently launched mid-market business, strengthening its ability to help companies in this segment modernize operations, adopt AI and drive growth.
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Founded in 2012, McCoy is headquartered in the Netherlands and has offices in Spain as well as in the Philippines. The company designs, implements and manages SAP solutions across ERP, data, business solutions, managed services and enterprise integration. McCoy is a leading SAP consultancy organization for the mid-market in the Netherlands and is recognized as an SAP Gold Partner. It has built long-standing client relationships through its deep local industry expertise across high-tech, manufacturing, public sector, utilities and retail, helping organizations modernize and operate critical business platforms.
McCoy will further strengthen Accenture Edge’s position in the fast-growing EMEA mid-market, while expanding its SAP modernization capabilities in the Netherlands. It will also contribute to offerings such as Advance, a joint initiative with SAP that provides packaged services tailored to the mid-market. These offerings help mid-market organizations become more connected, intelligent and responsive.
Together, Accenture Edge and McCoy will help clients modernize SAP environments faster, integrate AI into core business processes and scale new capabilities with less complexity.
“SAP modernization and AI are increasingly becoming part of the same strategic agenda for mid-market companies looking to accelerate growth,” said Nicole van Det, CEO Accenture Netherlands and Nordics. “McCoy will add the deep SAP expertise, strong client relationships and tailored delivery model needed to turn that agenda into business value.”
“McCoy will play an important role in the growth of Accenture Edge across Europe,” said Srini Subramanian, CEO of Accenture Edge. “Its entrepreneurial culture and track record serving mid-market clients make it an excellent fit for our strategy and ambitions for the region.”
“Joining Accenture Edge will allow us to build on what has made McCoy successful: deep SAP expertise, close client relationships and an entrepreneurial approach to delivery,” said Tom van den Berg, Co-Founder of McCoy. “Together, we can offer clients broader SAP, technology and AI capabilities to support their growth, while giving our people access to new expertise, international projects and career opportunities.”
McCoy will bring more than 380 specialized professionals to Accenture Edge. Its proprietary accelerators, including SmartERP, Smart Extensions, Smart Re-use and McCoy Integration Studio, are designed to standardize delivery, reduce implementation complexity and support faster SAP transformation.
The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of required regulatory approvals. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
For more information on Accenture Edge, visit www.accenture.com/edge.
About Accenture
Accenture helps the world’s leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed for organizations across industries. Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and lead in the safe, widespread adoption of AI, and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work in the world. We bring together the talent of our approximately 799,000 people with proprietary assets and platforms, deep process and industry expertise, and leading ecosystem relationships to deliver end-to-end solutions and measurable outcomes at scale. Through our Reinvention Services, we offer broad expertise across Cybersecurity, Digital Core, Finance, Industry and Enterprise, Song, Supply Chain and Engineering, and Talent, with advanced capabilities in AI and Data, Industry and Process, and Technology. We serve approximately 9,000 clients and generated approximately $70 billion in FY25 revenue. Visit us at accenture.com.
About Accenture Edge
Accenture Edge helps mid-market companies with annual revenues between $300 million and $3 billion harness AI and reinvent how they operate. Backed by Accenture's large-enterprise expertise and deep ecosystem partnerships, Accenture Edge delivers pre-built, right-sized solutions that help mid-market organizations modernize core systems, adopt AI, strengthen security and simplify operations at speed and scale. Learn more at www.accenture.com/edge.
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McCoy to become part of Accenture Edge
