CSA-SCS Statement

Sep 28 2020

September 28 2020

The Canadian Sociological Association//Société Canadienne de Sociologie expresses serious concerns about the safety and well-being of Cihan Erdal who was detained in Turkey on Friday September 25, 2020. Cihan is a permanent resident of Canada, a sociology doctoral student and coordinator of the Centre for Urban Youth Research at Carleton University.

We stand up for freedom of speech and we condemn political detention of any kind. We urge the Turkish government to immediately release Cihan from detention and to allow him to continue his work as a Canadian sociologist. We ask Canadian consular services to assist Cihan to safely return to Canada.

We would like to share the statement issued by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University: https://carleton.ca/socanth/2020/the-department-of-sociology-and-anthropology-at-carleton-university-condemns-in-the-strongest-possible-terms-the-detention-of-carleton-sociology-doctoral-candidate-cihan-erdal-in-turkey-today/

Here is a petition to support Cihan Erdal:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc4N_2JASf0afmmJG2-rUFEcgA6nvAj2qk4IgKBBKo_5N4fRg/viewform.

More information on the arrests can be found here: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/25/turkey-orders-dozens-of-arrests-including-kurdish-opposition;

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/carleton-phd-student-detained-in-turkey-cihan-erdal-1.5741088

---

The Executive Committee of the Canadian Sociological Association