After nearly two weeks of interrogation in an Istanbul prison, leading civil society activist Osman Kavala was formally arrested today and awaits trial on charges of seeking to overthrow the Turkish government.

Kavala’s arrest marks an escalation in the government’s Orwellian drive to galvanize public opinion against alleged Western conspirators and local fifth columnists who want to weaken and dismember Turkey.

“Outrageous charges against Osman Kavala. He’s a well-respected man. But today’s Turkey is ruled by crazy conspiracy theories,” tweeted Kati Piri, a member of the European Parliament and its Turkey rapporteur, echoing widespread sentiment in EU circles.

The 60-year-old Kavala comes from a line of wealthy Ottoman aristocrats. He has rebelled against the establishment but remained part of it, running an array of businesses and donating the proceeds to worthy causes. Kavala is an ardent champion of Turkish-Armenian reconciliation and his philanthropy has greased a broad range of projects from Kurdish rights to the environment. Many impoverished students, intellectuals and artists have counted on Kavala to bail them out.