Carleton student Cihan Erdal freed from Turkish prison

A Carleton University PhD student and Canadian permanent resident who spent the last 262 days in a Turkish prisonhas been freed.

Cihan Erdal, 32, was taken into custody inSeptember while visiting Turkey as part ofa mass arrest of dozens of peopleincluding three students and a university professor who were accused of fomenting anti-government protests more than six years ago.

He was released Tuesday around 4 p.m. ET, according to Ottawa-based human rightslawyer Paul Champ,who is part of Erdal's legal team.

Erdal's partnerof 10 years, mer Ongun, told the CBC Radio'sWorld ReportNil Kksalearlier Tuesday that the release is conditional and Erdalcan't return to Canada yet.

"I'm jazzed. I am so happy that he's finally free. [It's] just unbelievable. I am struggling to believe it," Ongun said in an interview from Ottawa.

"This was the first time he actually made a defence and he made a beautiful defence, an excellent defence."

Once released, Ongun saidErdal willtravel to Istanbuluntil he and his lawyers can secure permission for him to return to Canada. Hewill have to check in with local police twice a week.

Deadly protests

Erdal,an LGBTQ and environmental activist,was once a youth member of the People's Democratic Party (HDP), a pro-Kurdish political party thatis the country's third largest.

The government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoanaccuses the HDP of encouraging supporters to take to the streets in 2014to protest the government's lack of supportfor the Kurdish town of Kobani, in Syria, while it was under threat of attack fromISIS fighters.

Thirty-seven people were killed in clashes in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast that October as people filled the streets, angry that the Turkish Army wasn't moving in to protect Kobani and its people.

Erdal hadbeen held at a detention centre in the Turkish capital ofAnkara andwasoriginally kept in solitary confinement.

"He hasn't been politically active in the last six, seven years and has been living in Canada for quite some time," said Ongun. "He was just arrested arbitrarily and unlawfully and was charged for lifetime imprisonment."

Ongun said Erdal personally made animpassioned speech in court, sayinghe has no connection to the crimes being prosecuted,openlydeclared his activism for gay rightsand stressed that he joined the party to make his country a better place.

Champ,Erdal'slawyer,called the charges "politically-motivated." He said Turkish lawyers presented evidence showing that Erdalhad nothing to do withorganizing the protests because he wasn't in the same city when the HDP's executive committee met to discuss its strategy.

"We were very confident that he was going to be released because it was so utterly baseless," said Champ.

"We're confident that Cihan will be fully acquitted in the next couple of months."

Pressure campaign

Erdal's release comes after a campaign that soughtto pressure Turkey to free him from prison.

Canadian officials have raisedErdal's case in private discussions with the Turkish government. In aJanuary 2020 resolution condemning Turkey's crackdown on opposition members, the European Parliament highlighted Erdal's case.

And theUnited Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions is currently reviewing a petition lawyers filed on Erdal's behalf, which Champ said could lead to a ruling that ongoing limits to his freedom arein violation of international law.

Ongunsaid supporters have also written thousands of letters toTurkish and Canadian embassies in recent days.

"Cihan's name was very, very much around and circulated. The campaign became very strong globally," he said.

Though he said he hasn't been able to speak to Erdal throughout his partner's entire detention, Ongun said he's put on his favourite t-shirt in anticipation of avideo chat.

In a statement to CBC News, Global Affairs Canada said it is awareof the release of a Canadian permanent resident in Turkey.

"The Government of Canada does not comment on matters before the court," the statement said."In the interest of the well-being and privacy of the individual, we will not be providing further details at this time."