Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Global Affairs Confirms Another Canadian Arrested In Turkey

The Canadian Press, 28 Jul, 2016 02:25 PM
    Global Affairs Canada says a second Canadian citizen has been detained in Turkey.
     
    Spokesman Francois Lasalle says Canadian consular officials are in contact with Turkish authorities and are providing consular assistance to the family.
     
    Global Affairs would not release the name of the Canadian, citing privacy concerns.
     
    However, the Anatolian Heritage Federation in Ottawa says in a release that the person arrested and detained at the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul is Ilhan Erdem on what it calls "trumped up" allegations.
     
    It cites Turkish media as reporting Erdem is accused of leading the Hizmet movement in Canada.
     
    The Hizmet movement, also known as the Gulen movement, is described as a global network based on the teachings of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, a critic and former ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
     
    The federation says, however, that Erdem's beliefs are "simply aligned with those of Hizmet" and was arrested only because Erdogan "continues to target all detractors ... including peaceful Hizmet participants."  
     
    Nurcan Topcuolgu, a family friend and a member of the federation, says no one has been able to contact Erdem or his wife since they tried to board a flight to Canada on Monday. She says Erdem, his wife and two children were planning a family vacation in Ottawa.
     
    Topcuolgu says Erdem was working as an imam when he lived in Ottawa, but has been working as an education consultant in Turkey for the last three years. 
     
    There was still no concrete word, meanwhile, on why a Calgary man being detained in Turkey has been arrested, amid media reports that he's accused of being a coup plotter.
     
    Davud Hanci, an imam who provides spiritual counselling to prisoners, is apparently being held on accusations he was involved in the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey.
     
    Pictures that had circulated in Turkish media show a man purported to be Hanci with Gulen.
     
    Hanci was allowed to see his wife on Monday, but the visit was too brief to glean much information.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Psychiatrist Who Assessed Richard Henry Bain Says He Was Suffering From Bipolar Disorder

    Psychiatrist Who Assessed Richard Henry Bain Says He Was Suffering From Bipolar Disorder
    Marie-Frederique Allard is testifying for the defence at Bain's first-degree murder trial.

    Psychiatrist Who Assessed Richard Henry Bain Says He Was Suffering From Bipolar Disorder

    Elections Watchdog Sanctions Federal Green Party For Misleading Election Poll

    Elections Watchdog Sanctions Federal Green Party For Misleading Election Poll
    The statement, from party executive director Emily McMillan, comes after the party was told it would have to publish a public apology on its website and in a national news release after Canada's elections watchdog found that it distributed the misleading poll.

    Elections Watchdog Sanctions Federal Green Party For Misleading Election Poll

    Montreal Homes Greenest, Edmonton At Bottom: New UBC Emissions Study

    VANCOUVER — A new study says Montreal homes emit the lowest greenhouse gas emissions, on average, while those in Edmonton emit the most.

    Montreal Homes Greenest, Edmonton At Bottom: New UBC Emissions Study

    Spirit Of The West's John Mann Among Order Of B.C. Recipients

    Spirit Of The West's John Mann Among Order Of B.C. Recipients
    John Mann, a founding member of the iconic Canadian band Spirit of the West, was among 16 people presented with the Order of British Columbia on Tuesday.

    Spirit Of The West's John Mann Among Order Of B.C. Recipients

    Body Of Missing Calgary Boy, 11, Recovered In Yoho National Park

    Body Of Missing Calgary Boy, 11, Recovered In Yoho National Park
    Parks Canada says a search team recovered the body of the boy from the Kicking Horse River, downstream of the Yoho River, late Tuesday morning.

    Body Of Missing Calgary Boy, 11, Recovered In Yoho National Park

    Canadian Woman Arrested In Modesto With 38 Kilograms Of Heroin: Police

    Canadian Woman Arrested In Modesto With 38 Kilograms Of Heroin: Police
    63-year-old Kathleen Landry, of British Columbia, was arrested Monday on Highway 99 in Modesto.

    Canadian Woman Arrested In Modesto With 38 Kilograms Of Heroin: Police