Brother-in-law of Canadian detained in Turkey calls on government for help

CTV News Channel: 'I'm very concerned and scared' The brother-in-law of a Canadian Imam who is being held in a case of what's being called mistaken identity discusses the circumstances.

The brother-in-law of a Canadian imam being held in Turkey on accusations of organizing the failed military coup is calling for the Canadian government to step in.

Selman Durmus says his brother-in-law, Davud Hanci, has been wrongfully imprisoned and is being mistaken for another man with this same last name who is a close friend of Fethulla Gulen, a Pennsylvania-based cleric accused of being the coup’s mastermind.

“He is not the person in the picture they are claiming he is,” said Durmus. “They’re claiming he resides in Pennsylvania and is the right-hand-man of Fethulla Gulen but he’s been residing in Calgary for the past five years.”

According to Durmus, Hanci travelled to Turkey with his wife and children to visit his ailing father even though he knew his political views could be seen as a threat by the government. Durmus says that Hanci has not supported the Turkish government in the past.

Durmus also said that the Turkish government’s claims that Hanci arrived in Turkey two days prior to the failed coup are also not true.

“He left Canada on the seventh (of July) and he was in Turkey on the eighth, not the 13th,” said Durmus.

He said his brother-in-law arrived at his home in Turkey one day, to find police at his door. He was later arrested by the officers, Durmus said.

He added that he's "very concerned" for Hanci's well-being, noting claims on social media of evidence that some prisoners are being forced to hold "stressful positions" for more than 48 hours. There are also claims on social media from prisoners that they were raped, Durmus said.

Hanci works as an imam for the Correctional Service of Canada and helps inmates so that they don’t end up back in jail. Durmus says that Hanci would have to go through criminal background checks to work for the federal government and believes that he is innocent.

Because Turkey has declared a state of emergency, authorities there are able to detain anyone for 30 days without pressing any charges. That worries Durmus.

“We’re hoping for help and anything that they can do for us to get our family back home safely,” said Durmus, who added that his family has called the Canadian government’s emergency line and Global Affairs.

According to Durmus, Global Affairs has told them there is nothing that they can do because Hanci is a dual Canadian and Turkish citizen

“The way I think about it is at the end of the day, just like Justin Trudeau says, we’re a multicultural country,” said Durmus. “He’s still Canadian and he deserves justice.”

Hanci’s wife and children remain in Turkey and are staying with relatives. According to Durmus, Global Affairs has said they can help them leave the country but cannot offer security.

With a report from CTV's Omar Sachedina