Calgarian remains detained in Turkey

A Calgary man remains behind bars in Turkey after being arrested in July.

Davud Hanci was detained by officials who accuse him of being involved in the July 15 failed coup attempt. He is being held until trial, according to friends who base their information on Turkish media accounts.

“The court decided he will be held until trial but no date has been set,” said Malik Muradov, executive director of the Intercultural Dialogue Institute.

Hanci, and another Turkish-Canadian citizen, Ilhan Erdem, are accused of being involved with Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric the Turkish government believes is behind the effort to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Gulen, a former ally turned critic of Erdogan, has denied any involvement in the coup. The Turkish government has detained thousands of people it alleges are Gulen supporters.

Canadian officials confirm they have been in touch with Turkish authorities and are providing consular assistance to Hanci’s family, who are also in Turkey, but would not provide further information.

Muradov said the Calgary Turkish community is concerned for their friend, an imam who does counselling in the federal and Alberta correctional systems. They are also worried about Hanci’s wife, Rumeysa and their sons, 7 and 9, who are staying with inlaws in Turkey. The family had gone there to visit Hanci’s father who is quite ill, said Muradov.

“She is still there but we can’t speak too much about that. She’s afraid to be targeted as well. The situation is very bad. There is a lot of chaos in Turkey.”