Cihan Erdal

Last updated
Cihan Erdal
OccupationSociologist
AwardsSSHRC Doctoral award

Cihan Erdal is a Turkish human rights activist and PhD candidate at Carleton University. Erdal was arrested by the Turkish government in 2020 and held as a political prisoner for nine months due to his prior involvement with the left wing, pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party. [1] [2]

Contents

Detention by Turkish government

On 25 September 2020, Erdal was arrested shortly after arriving in Istanbul on 25 September 2020, shortly after arriving in the city to conduct doctoral research. [3] Erdal was detained as part of a series of mass arrests that targeted HDP politicians, activists, and others allegedly involved in the 2014 Kobanî protests. [4] The Turkish government charged 108 individuals, including Erdal, with a litany of offences, including murder, terrorism, and seeking to "destroy the unity and integrity of the state." [5]

The arrest of Erdal, a Canadian permanent resident, prompted strong reactions from a number of Canadian organizations. Carleton University's Department of Sociology and Anthropology condemned the arrest, stating that "[t]he charges stem from events back in 2014, which the Turkish government are using to continue persecuting members of the leftist HDP political party, the third largest party in Turkey’s parliament." [6] CUPE also condemned the arrest and called on the Canadian government to demand Erdal's immediate release and safe return to Canada. [7]

In April 2021, Erdal was denied bail, forcing him to remain in prison while awaiting trial. [8]

In September 2021, the United Nations' Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released an opinion concluding that Erdal's arrest and subsequent detention were arbitrary and lacking any legal basis. [9]

Release and return to Canada

Erdal was released from prison in June 2021, but was forced to remain in Turkey awaiting permission to leave the country. [10] After several months, Erdal eventually walked for hours to the Turkish border in order to claim political asylum in a third country. He returned to Canada in September 2022. [11]

Research career

Erdal's graduate research "focused on the reproduction of abilik (big brotherhood), a form of institutionalized hierarchy based on age, experience, and gender faced by youth in the left political space of Turkey in the 2000s." [12] His current doctoral research examines "the experiences of young people who were engaged in activism for radical social change in Europe, primarily in the cities of Athens, Istanbul and Paris, during the 2010s and 2020s." [13] He is a SSHRC Award recipient. [14]

Personal life

Erdal is openly gay. [15] During his imprisonment, concerns were raised by both Erdal and his supporters that his background as an LGBTQ+ rights activist could make him a target for additional abuse by Turkish authorities. [16] [17]

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References

  1. ↑ "Carleton PhD student returns to Canada after imprisonment in Turkey". CBC News. 13 September 2022.
  2. ↑ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "US slams Turkey's plan to ban pro-Kurdish party | DW | 18.03.2021". DW.COM. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  3. ↑ Zaman, Amberin (2020-10-28). "Turkish academic in Canada caught up in Ankara's anti-Kurdish sweep". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  4. ↑ Hayatsever, Huseyin (16 May 2024). "Turkey convicts former pro-Kurdish party officials over 2014 Kobani protests". Reuters.
  5. ↑ "Türkiye: Kurdish Politicians Convicted in Unjust Mass Trial". Human Rights Watch. 17 May 2024.
  6. ↑ Raymond, Ted (29 September 2020). "Carleton University denounces detention of Canadian PhD candidate in Turkey". CTV News. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  7. ↑ "CUPE calls for release and safe return of Cihan Erdal". Canadian Union of Public Employees. 29 September 2020.
  8. ↑ Kimberley Molina (April 4, 2021). "Carleton PhD student arrested in Turkey denied bail". CBC News.
  9. ↑ "Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at its 91st session, 6-10 September 2021: Opinion No. 38/2021 concerning Cihan Erdal (Turkey)". United Nations Digital Library. 21 September 2021.
  10. ↑ Nil Köksal, Ryan Patrick Jones (June 15, 2021). "Carleton student Cihan Erdal freed from Turkish prison". CBC News.
  11. ↑ "Carleton PhD student returns to Canada after imprisonment in Turkey". CBC News. September 13, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Current Graduate Students". Carleton University.
  13. ↑ "CUYR Affiliates: Cihan Erdal". Centre for Urban Youth Research.
  14. ↑ "Previous Graduate Award Winners". Carleton University.
  15. ↑ Pledge Dickson, Sarah (29 June 2021). "'Writing behind bars': Carleton University student says the letters he wrote and received while in a Turkish prison were a lifeline". Ottawa Citizen.
  16. ↑ "Five Turkish students arrested over LGBTQ-themed work". The Art Newspaper. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  17. ↑ Pledge Dickson, Sarah (29 June 2021). "'Writing behind bars': Carleton University student says the letters he wrote and received while in a Turkish prison were a lifeline". Ottawa Citizen.
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