Imagine being in jail for two trivial Facebook posts.
Posted on March 31, 2021 at 6:00 a.m.
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This is the unfair fate of Cihan Erdal, 32, a doctoral student in sociology at Carleton University in Ottawa, imprisoned for six months in Turkey, his country of origin, where he was to carry out his university research. and see his family.
On September 25, 2020, her lover, Omer Ongun, who lives in Ottawa, was woken up by a call in the middle of the night.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY OMER ONGUN
PhD student in sociology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Cihan Erdal has been imprisoned since September 25, 2020 in Turkey.
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It was Cihan.
“The police were at his door and they were taking him into custody. And all he could say on the phone was, ‟I love you. Do whatever you can. I need your help.” ”
This was the last time Omer heard Cihan’s voice.
Even though we’ve been together for 10 years, Turkey is one of those many countries that unfortunately don’t recognize same-sex unions. I am therefore not considered to be his family and am not allowed to speak to him.
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Omer Ongun, conjoint de Cihan Erdal
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Since then, Omer has tried to move heaven and earth to free Cihan, with whom he can only communicate in writing. Every week, he sends her a letter through a paid app designed specifically to be able to correspond with prisoners in Turkey.
“The letter is printed, put in an envelope and sent to the prison. Cihan receives her about a week later. ”
PHOTO PROVIDED BY OMER ORGUN
Cihan Erdal, doctoral student in sociology at Carleton University in Ottawa (right) and his spouse, Omer Ongun.
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Supported by a growing solidarity movement, Omer does not lose hope of finding his lover. He is taking French lessons at the moment dreaming of free days when he can settle in Montreal with him. “Cihan speaks French. Better than me ! For the time being, we are tenants. But if one day we buy a house, it will be in Montreal. We have always loved the energy of this city. ”
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Imprisoned in Ankara, Cihan Erdal, who has permanent resident status in Canada, is due to stand trial on April 26. He is accused of being linked to protests that took place in October 2014 in Turkey. His arrest comes as Turkish authorities accuse the People’s Democratic Party of Turkey (HDP), to which Cihan Erdal was previously linked as a former member of its central executive committee, of inciting people to participate in violent uprisings.
His arbitrary detention is unfortunately just one of many cases of using anti-terrorism laws to silence any dissenting voices in Turkey, according to Amnesty International.
Officially, what we reproach Cihan Erdal are two Facebook posts from 2014 and 2015 in which the student, who has also been a research assistant at Carleton University since 2017, relayed articles critical of the Turkish government.
The target here is not Cihan personally. The target is the Turkish people. The charges are meant to make people afraid of getting involved in a political party that might provoke some sort of opposition to the ruling party.
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Paul Champ, human rights lawyer, at a conference hosted by Carleton University on Monday
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In an open letter published on March 15, Cihan Erdal says he considers himself a “political hostage”. Activist queer and pacifist, he has always opposed the preachers of violence. He says he finds it “shameful” for law and justice to be subjected to “terrifying accusations”, unfounded, of incitement to terrorism.
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Many voices have been raised in recent months to demand the release of Cihan Erdal. The academic community, human rights activists, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (of which Cihan is a member) and others are campaigning to speak out against the injustice he suffers. His arbitrary detention appears to be a cruel illustration of a disturbing tendency to restrict academic freedom.
This is an aspect that has been little talked about in the wake of recent controversies around this important issue. But it is extremely worrying. Between January 2011 and August 2020, the international Scholars at Risk network, which assists academics facing serious threats, alone recorded more than 1,700 attacks against higher education in around 100 countries. Whether it is violent and premeditated acts against universities, professors and students or restrictions on the freedom of expression of researchers, the goal is always the same: to punish people for their ideas and to attempt to silence them.
This is exactly what we did in Cihan Erdal, whose research focuses on militant youth in Turkey, Greece and France. His methodology required him to interview young activists in the field, explains his spouse. “He never thought there was a risk there since he didn’t do anything wrong. ”
For 21 days, Cihan Erdal was kept in solitary confinement, in extremely harsh conditions, according to information obtained by her husband. Today he is better, although he is still detained. “He is fully focused on his studies. He reads and writes articles and book chapters. ”
On Friday April 2, there will be a hearing to determine if the doctoral student can be released on bail pending trial. The #FreeCihanErdal campaign is calling on the Canadian government and the Turkish authorities for his immediate release.
“Canada has expressed its concerns to the Turkish authorities and continues to monitor this matter closely,” Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Jason Kung told me.
Omer remains optimistic. “Since the day I received this call from Cihan, I’ve been telling myself: we can’t control what happens to us, but we control how we react to it. We are responding to this injustice and torture with resistance and solidarity. ”
> Visit the #FreeCihanErdal website
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