Carleton Students Host Conference on Detention of PhD Student Cihan Erdal

By Bronwyn Cragg, YCL-LJC member in Toronto

Special to Rebel Youth

On September 27, 2020, following the issuing of a wave of arrest warrants by Turkish authorities, Canadian permanent resident and Carleton PhD student Cihan Erdal was arrested. It has been nearly a month since Erdal was detained without charge in Ankara, and though no accusations have been made public, it is assumed that the arrest was in response to his previous involvement in the People’s Democratic Party, a centre-left political party that Erdoğan has accused of having “ties to terrorism.” Despite international publicity, the Government of Canada has kept their silence regarding Erdal’s arrest, stating only through Global Affairs Canada that they were “aware of the detention of a Canadian permanent resident in Turkey.”

Cihan Erdal is a doctoral candidate at Carleton’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and has been heavily involved in youth and LGBTI+ activism. Erdal’s doctoral research focuses on youth-led social movements across Europe, specifically in Paris, Athens, and Istanbul, and he has been working on it for multiple years. He is also a long-time member of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and works as a valued member in CUPE Local 4600. Erdal initially left Canada for Turkey in order to visit his elderly parents during the COVID-19 pandemic, hoping also to complete interviews with Turkish youth activists for his thesis; however, not long into his trip, he decided to return to Canada due to the difficulty in interviewing youth under the current pandemic precautions. Not long after confirming his plan to return with his thesis supervisor, Erdal was detained without charge by Turkish police.

In response to Erdal’s unjust detainment, Carleton University Students for Scholars at Risk (CUSFSAR) organized an online conference featuring members of Erdal’s family, as well as Carleton professor and thesis supervisor Jackie Kennelly, and Canadian human rights lawyer Paul Champ. This webinar took place on October 17th, marking the third week of Erdal’s detainment.

Ömer Ongun, Erdal’s partner of 10 years, began the discussion with a small gleam of hope: Erdal’s family is now able to speak with him twice a week, but this came only after widespread media attention and outcry from international groups. Ömer himself is still not able to speak with Erdal except through a lawyer, as Turkey does not recognize same-sex long-term partners as family. Ömer also addressed popular concern regarding the spread of COVID-19 in Turkish prisons, assuring the other panelists that Erdal is relatively safe, but said that he was nervous that, in the case of infection, Erdal may be denied medical care. He also noted that his partner had been held in solitary confinement and other difficult conditions since his arrest.

Each panelist asserted that the detainment of students and activists is not unique to Turkey, but that increased surveillance and state violence has been seen in Canada in recent years. Paul Champ noted that, in the 50 years since the mass arrests of the October Crisis, we have seen an increase in human rights abuses in Canada, especially against Canadians of Middle Eastern origin. Jackie Kennelly added that there were prescient links between Erdal’s case and the wars on Indigenous land defenders currently taking place, as well as increased surveillance of progressive activists and criminalization of the poor taking place across Canada. In Kennelly’s words, “democracy is a spectrum, and we are not at the most democratic end of it in Canada either. We can see what’s happening in Turkey, but it’s also happening to other groups here.”

It is clear that, though Carleton University has made some strides towards advocating for Erdal’s release, the Government of Canada has been hesitant to get involved: Champ believes that Erdal is being held contrary to international law, and that, though he is a permanent resident and Turkey is not obliged to allow Canadian officials to visit or intervene on behalf of non-citizens, there have been recent legal precedents that show Canada’s occasional willingness to advocate for permanent residents, and even those without any connection to Canada. Over 2500 scholars, academics, activists, and allies have signed a petition calling for Erdal’s release, but little to no official action has been taken. All panelists argued that the Government of Canada has neglected its duty to fight for Erdal’s release, and that more agitation, organizing, and action needed to be taken in order for the Federal Government to take this case seriously.

Ömer put forward a number of action items during the conference, encouraging viewers to use in CPEP’s e-mail zap tool to send a clear message to Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois-Philippe Champagne, Ottawa Centre MP Catherine McKenna, and Global Affairs Canada’s Alison Grant, and urge them to fight for Cihan Erdal’s release. He also urged viewers to visit his website and Gofundme in order to pay for what has, until now, been volunteer legal work performed by good samaritans. CUPE has signed on to the petition, and additionally urged workers and allies to contact the Canadian embassy in Turkey. Though it is ultimately up to the Canadian authorities to take a stand, viewers were also urged to advocate on Erdal’s behalf using the hashtags #FreeCihanErdal and #LiberezCihanErdal. 

Updates to Erdal’s case can be found at freecihanerdal.wordpress.com