Ece Heper was arrested in Kars on Dec. 30 but news of her detention only surfaced Wednesday after her lawyer, Sertac Celikkaleli, spoke with the Canadian Press. Heper had been in Turkey since mid-November.
The arrest came after Heper made several Facebook posts criticizing the Turkish president. The Windsor Star reports the woman allegedly accused Erdogan of helping ISIS in a social media post made two days before her arrest. She is also alleged to have criticized the president for jailing thousands of people, including journalists, for insulting the president.
Under Turkish law, a person who insults the president can be jailed for up to four years although her lawyer told CP she is looking at three years in prison. Global Affairs Canada confirmed a Canadian citizen has been detained in Turkey and they are offering consular assistance to that person. The Canadian government would not release any further information citing privacy concerns.
In recent years, Turkey has cracked down on those who insult the country’s president. About 2,000 cases have been launched against people accused of insulting the president and they include a former Miss Turkey and a 16-year-old boy. One man who ran a café was arrested after he said he would refuse to serve tea to Erdogan.
From friends of Heper, it was learned she resides in Norwood, Ontario, northeast of Toronto. She lives alone with five dogs she previously rescued while in Turkey. Her parents are dead and she is estranged from her only brother. Heper only has her friends to help her out and these friends have reached out to various human rights organizations to try and get help for the 50-year-old.
One friend, Birgitta Pavic, told the Canadian Press that Heper is “intense and opinionated” before adding everything is intense in Turkey, especially when it comes to criticizing the government. Friends also say Heper has some health issues and they are concerned she will not be able to have access to her medication while in detention.
According to friends, she has been spending more time in Turkey lately after befriending a man who lived in exile in the Kurdish area of Syria just across the border from Turkey. Heper was staying near the Syrian border and was arrested after she travelled to Kars to visit the man’s wife. Friends say Heper has an interest in problems the Kurdish face.
Heper’s lawyer said it will be months before her case is brought to trial.
