‘Writing behind bars’: Carleton University student says the letters he wrote and received while in a Turkish prison were a lifeline
On June 15, Cihan Erdal was released from prison in Ankara, Turkey. The Carleton University student had been in prison nearly nine months. Since his release, he’s attended hearings and reported twice a week to the Turkish police. He can’t leave the country and return home to his spouse, Ömer Ongun, in Ottawa.
In solitary, his tiny room had a bed, a small kitchen and a table. Food, clothing and other basics were inconsistent and insufficient. For 25 days, Erdal spent almost every hour in the room and did not see or speak to another individual, including the 80 people arrested at the same time. He had no connection to the outside.
“You feel as if you are guilty,” says Erdal. “You were kept in a horrible place that no human being deserves to stay in.”