Calgary imam Davud Hanci jailed after failed Turkish coup must wait until May for court appearance

A Calgary man rounded up in the wake of a failed coup in Turkey will spend more time in prison after his court appearance was delayed until May 3.

Davud Hanci,who has dual Canadian and Turkish citizenship, wasaccused of being a leader in the failed attempt to oustPresidentRecepTayyipErdogan and his government on July 15, 2016. Hancihas been locked up since July and was supposed to appear in court on Wednesday.

CBC News could not confirm specifically what charges had been laid against Hanci.

• Davud Hanci, Calgary man detained over Turkey coup plot, is innocent, family and friends say
• Calgary imam's wife 'tortured' by his imprisonment in Turkey

However, Hanci'sbrother-in-lawSelmanDurmustold CBC News on Wednesday that all mention of Hanci's involvement in the coup has been dropped.

"When he was first detained, the accusations of him plotting the coup and stuff like that, those are no longer valid, they don't even mention it in court, it's not mentioned anymore," saidDurmus.

Durmus says the only reasonHanciis still being held is because of alleged tiesto U.S.-based clericFethullahGulen, accused by the increasingly authoritarian Turkish regime of masterminding the attempted coup.

Gulendenies he was involved in the coup attempt, while Durmus says Hancihas no connection to the Gulen movement.

Before Hanci's arrest whilevisiting family in Turkey last July, he had been living with his wife and children in Calgary and workingas an imam for Correctional Service Canada and the Alberta correctional services.

Masked witness appeared in court, Durmus says

Heis being held at a prison outside of Istanbul and was supposed to appear Wednesday via video link at a court inTrabzon, in Turkey's Black Sea region, where he was arrested.

According to Durmus, one man did appear in court via video Wednesday:a secret witness who alleges he saw Hanci collecting money and leading prayers on behalf of the Gulen movement.

"He appeared in court today by video conference wearing a mask and they changed his voice so you can't tell who he is," said Durmus.

He said the family has learned the identity of the witness by tracking his phone number revealed on a public document related to the case back to a man who once lived in Calgary.

"So we found out who he is and we're actually going to sue him here in Canada because he's a dual citizen of Canadian and Turkey as well," said Durmus.

He won't reveal the man's name at this time, so CBC News is unable to verify Durmus' claims.

'I'm trying to stay strong,' wife says

The family isn't sure what will happen when Hanci does appear in court whether hecould be detained longer, sentencedor set free with his case thrown out.

"It is so overwhelming ... but I'm trying to stay strong," said his wife,Rumeysa Hanci, on Monday.

Shemoved from Calgary to Toronto with her twosons following Davud'sarrest to be closer to family.

Hanciwent to Turkey with his family on July 7 to visit his ailing father and was swept up in the crackdown following the attempt to oustPresident RecepTayyipErdogan.

Thousands of people, including journalists, were rounded up in the aftermath.

• Who is Fethullah Gulen, the man Erdogan blames for coup attempt in Turkey?
• Erdogan slams 'vulgar, worthless' headline, promises punishment

Some reports peg the number of Turkish citizens arrested or ousted from their jobs at more than130,000 over the past seven months.

In November, a Global Affairs spokesperson said Canadian consular officials in Turkey "have been in contact with local authorities since the beginning and are in regular contact with the Canadian citizen's family to provide consular assistance."