Istanbul - (AFP) - A Turkish appeals court on Wednesday upheld a judicial conviction against a prominent opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was sentenced to life in prison, which has fueled strained relations between Ankara and the West.

In April, Paris-born philanthropist Osman Kavala was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of pardon, for seeking to overthrow the government by financing popular protests in 2013.

In the case, seven other people were sentenced to 18 years in prison each for their contributions to the attempt to overthrow the government headed by Erdogan during what was called the "Gezi Park protests" in Istanbul.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported that the appeals court had concluded the April ruling was "in accordance with the law".

Kavala's defense attorneys can appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.

Kavala's trial extended for many years and negatively affected the strategic, but troubled, ties of Turkey, a member of NATO, with its Western allies since the sudden suspension of the opposition in October 2017.

At the time, Kavala was known as a businessman who spent some of his wealth to promote culture and projects aimed at reconciling Turkey with its arch-rival, Armenia.

However, Erdogan insisted on describing Kavala as a left-wing agent of the Hungarian-born American billionaire George Soros, accusing him of receiving foreign funding to overthrow the government.

Kavala was initially accused of financing the wave of protests in Turkey in 2013, which analysts say was a reaction to Erdogan's more authoritarian tendencies in the second half of his two-decade rule in Turkey.

The court acquitted him and released him in February 2020, but the police returned and arrested him before he could return to his home and wife.

Then another court charged him with involvement in a coup attempt against Erdogan in Turkey in 2016, during which more than 250 people died in Istanbul and Ankara.

In the end, Kavala was charged with both charges, and later the court convicted him of the charge he was acquitted of in 2020.

The United States expressed "grave concern" about Kavala's sentence, while Germany demanded his immediate release.
Turkey ignored a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights demanding Kavala's release.