CBC memo on Sasa Petricic and Derek Stoffel
I wanted to update you on what we know about Sasa Petricic and Derek Stoffel, who are currently detained in Istanbul.
Both Sasa and Derek were picked up by police this morning while covering the ongoing protests.
They have since met with Canadian consular officials in Istanbul who are continuing to provide assistance. They are currently speaking to their lawyer in advance of their statements to police.
Beyond the tweets from Sasa and Derek which you may have seen, we have also spoken to them directly. They are in good spirits, and say they are being treated well.
We have spoken to the Turkish ambassador in Ottawa who tells us he is doing everything he can to secure their release. As you know, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird raised the issue directly with the ambassador this morning. We are grateful for his support, the support of other members of Parliament, and Foreign Affairs officials in Canada and Turkey.
Derek and Sasa also appreciate the support they have been given by their colleagues and others around the world, and while we remain concerned for their well being, we are hopeful they will be released soon and are doing everything we can to ensure that happens.
We will you update you with any additional information when we have it.
Jennifer McGuire
Tamara Baluja is an award-winning journalist with CBC Vancouver and the 2018 Michener-Deacon fellow for journalism education. She was the associate editor for J-Source from 2013-2014.