OTTAWA -- The federal government is being urged to step up the pressure on Turkey amid concerns about an ever-expanding crackdown on human rights advocates, journalists and opposition members inside the country.
Canada has been steadily raising its voice about the mass detentions since Turkish authorities arrested the chair of the country's Amnesty International branch in early June.
Taner Kilic is now among an estimated 50,000 people detained for alleged links to Fethullah Gulen, the U.S.-based cleric that the Turkish government has accused of fomenting a failed coup last year.
Canadian diplomats, including Ambassador Chris Cooter, have voiced their concerns on social media and directly with Turkish counterparts in the capital of Ankara, according to one official.
Then last week, after arrest warrants were issued for several other Amnesty International officials, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland stepped into the fray by calling on Turkey to respect human rights.
In a statement, Freeland said she was "seriously concerned" about the mass detentions as well as the closing down of media outlets and NGOs.
"No one should ever be threatened or face violence for expressing ideas and opinions," she added.
"Turkey faces considerable security challenges - internally and regionally. We call on Turkish authorities to respond to current challenges without violating international legal obligations and human rights."
But while the comments were unusually direct given that Canada and Turkey are both members of the NATO military alliance, the head of Amnesty International Canada is hoping for even more.
Alex Neve said the federal government's interventions are very welcome, but that now is the time to keep up the pressure.
That would include Canada joining several other countries, including Germany, who have demanded outright that Turkey release Kilic and other human-rights defenders who have been detained.
"It's absolutely our expectation that Canada's concern and willingness to intervene is going to continue here," Neve told The Canadian Press.
"What we're looking for next is a very clear and explicit statement from the minister demanding that all of the human-rights defenders be released. We don't have those explicit words yet."
For its part, Germany recently issued a travel warning for those wanting to travel to Turkey after several of its citizens were caught up in the crackdown.
Western countries have till now been seen as walking a tight rope since last year's failed coup in Turkey, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been accused of exploiting to crack down on public dissent.
Part of the reason for the West's delicate approach is Turkey's position as a NATO ally, as well as its importance in supporting the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and for harbouring millions of Syrian refugees.
Yet tensions are growing, with more countries speaking up even as Erdogan has refused to cede any ground and instead ramped up his anti-Western rhetoric.
"The West wants Turkey to bring about their demands no questions asked... I am sorry to say, that Turkey no longer exists," Erdogan told a meeting of his ruling party's legislators in Ankara.
With files from The Associated Press
