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          Please help pressure the Turkish government to release Cihan Erdal, a Carleton University doctoral student, member of CUPE Local 4600, and a permanent resident of Canada as he prepares for his upcoming trial, taking place on June 14, 2021.

          Cihan was detained in Istanbul on September 25, 2020, along with 81 other academics, politicians, and activists. He was in Turkey conducting research and was targeted because of his previous membership in the People’s Democratic Party (HDP in Turkish) – a legal political party that opposes many of the policies of the current Turkish government.

          CUPE is calling on the Canadian government to intervene on behalf of Cihan and has launched a global on-line campaign to secure his release. Last year, CAUT condemned his detention, and called on the Turkish government to drop all charges against him and the other detainees.

          To ensure Cihan’s release and safe return to Canada, CAUT is asking its member associations to support CUPE’s solidarity campaign by sending a protest message to senior Turkish government officials. It only takes a few seconds.

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