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The Council of Europe (COE) said Friday it will notify Turkey of its intention to launch "infringement proceedings" against the country over its failure to release philanthropist Osman Kavala in line with a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling, Deutsche Welle reported. 

The decision, announced in a statement from the pan-European rights body, comes after a Turkish court last week ruled to keep Kavala in prison, ignoring repeated pressure from the West.

In 2019, the European Court of Human Rights said Kavala's jailing for four years without conviction was political and called on Ankara to free him.

"By failing to ensure the applicant's immediate release, the committee considers that Turkey is refusing to abide by the court's final judgment in this case," the COE's latest statement said.

The COE has triggered a procedure used only once before in the organization's history, which could theoretically see Turkey expelled from the body, but only after an exhaustive multi-stage process.

It is reminded that Kavala, a businessman, activist and philanthropist, was arrested in October 2017, accused of having links to the Gulen movement, which Ankara has labeled a terrorist group.