Saturday Quickies: Enes Kanter’s Father Freed Edition

The former Cat’s father was released from a Turkish prison

By Zac Oakes@ZacOakes Jun 20, 2020, 6:40am EDT

Seven years after being arrested, Enes Kanter’s father has been released from prison.

The former Kentucky Wildcat shared the news on Twitter this morning.

1) Wow!
I could cry
Today I found out that 7 years after arresting my dad, taking him through a Kangaroo court and accusing him of being a criminal just because he is my dad.

MY DAD HAS BEEN RELEASED!
This is due to the pressure we have put on the Turkish regime.
— Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) June 19, 2020

Kanter, who has been a harsh critic of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been targeted for his statements on Erdogan, calling him a dictator and comparing him to Adolf Hitler while trying to shine a spotlight on atrocities committed by the Turkish government.

The Turkish government cancelled Kanter’s passport in 2017 while he was abroad and last year, Turkish prosecutors were actively seeking his arrest.

This has been quite an unusual situation, but it is great news to see that Kanter’s father has been released.

Tweet of the Day

It's Ray Oliver’s birthday today. He and I have been together since the beginning. We were GAs together at Kansas, assistants at Pitt, worked together with the Nets, at Memphis and here at Kentucky. One of the most loyal friends anyone can have! Happy birthday, Ray!!! pic.twitter.com/bUBQUVAbip
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) June 19, 2020