Family upset to learn imam to remain in Turkish prison
Relatives of a Calgary imam who has spent more than seven months in a Turkish prison are dismayed his case will remain in limbo for at least another two months.
Davud Hanci on Wednesday appeared by video before a judge on allegations he helped orchestrate last summer’s attempted coup.
His loved ones were hoping for a resolution, but his sister-in-law says he’ll be held until his next court date on May 3.
“It’s very ridiculous,” Ruveyda Durmus said from Toronto. “It’s just unbelievable. This is not even about the law.”
Durmus said Hanci’s brothers and cousins, along with Canadian officials, were in the courtroom in Trabzon on the coast of the Black Sea while the imam was shown on a screen from a prison nearly 1,000 kilometres away.
He’s been kept in solitary confinement at a prison east of Istanbul in the province of Kocaeli. He hasn’t been allowed visits or phone calls with family, but has been able to see his lawyer a few times faceto-face and correspond through the mail.
Durmus said the reason given for the delay was to gather evidence from a “secret witness” dating back to 2008-09 about Hanci leading prayers in Calgary.
She said she was at a loss to understand how that was connected to recent events in Turkey or how that could be construed as breaking the law.
“Of course he’s going to lead the prayers, because he’s an imam.”
Durmus said Hanci’s wife Rumeysa — her sister — has barely slept and is distraught.
“She’s just praying and crying. That’s all she’s been doing.”
Relatives have said the couple and their two sons, ages eight and 10, were in Turkey last July visiting the imam’s ailing father in Trabzon when he was arrested.
Turkey has arrested tens of thousands in its investigation into the failed coup, and has dismissed or suspended more than 100,000 people from government jobs.
“Davud had nothing to do with the coup. He has nothing to do with any violence and he should be back home to his family and his kids,” said Durmus.
“His kids are at school right now and they’ re going to come home and ask what happened. I don’t know what we’re going to tell them.”
Michael O’Shaughnessy with Global Affairs Canada called the case a priority but said privacy considerations prohibit him from discussing it in detail.
“We are actively engaged on this case and doing everything we can to support the family,” he said. “Parliamentary Secretary Omar Alghabra has met with the individual’s family, and consular officials remain in regular contact.”
Rumeysa has described her husband as a peaceful and gentle man. His job involves providing spiritual counselling to prison inmates across Alberta.
“I want this torture to end as soon as possible,” she said. “I want him back home. I want him seeing my boys growing and taking care of them.”