Global Affairs concerned by reports Calgary imam sentenced to prison in Turkey

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

Relatives have said Hanci was visiting the city of Trabzon, on the coast of the Black Sea, to visit his sick father at the time.

Appetite for Instruction

Youth rock band fundraiser just a few weeks away

May 30, 2026

Significant rainfall

Special weather statement issued for Red Deer

May 29, 2026

lukaszuk visits red deer sunday

Thomas Lukaszuk speaks with The Everything Red Deer Podcast

May 29, 2026

Global Affairs spokesman John Babcock says officials are in contact with him, and an email from the department says a consular official was present as an observer at the most recent hearing.

Babcock says consular officials have also been in contact with local authorities to gather information and are assisting Hanci’s family. He says no other information can be released for privacy reasons.  

Following the failed coup on July 15, 2016, the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan instituted a state of emergency that ended this month. During that time, Turkey has arrested more than 75,000 people for alleged links to Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric whom Ankara blames for the attempted government overthrow.

The Canadian Press