Turkey urged to prove that former ambassador to Canada had ties to failed coup
OTTAWA — Supporters of Turkey’s former ambassador to Canada are calling on the Turkish government to prove he was linked to a failed coup attempt last month or let him go free.
Tuncay Babali was reportedly detained a week ago amid allegations he was among those involved in the military coup that collapsed on July 15.
The Turkish government has since purged and arrested hundreds of public servants — Babali among them — whom it alleges were tied to the Fethullah Gulen movement that it accuses of being behind the attempted overthrow.
Babali, ambassador to Canada between 2012 and 2014, was seen as one of Turkey’s most accomplished young diplomats. His posting to Canada was his last overseas posting before returning to Ankara to serve in the foreign ministry.