For most of us, migrant detention centres remain abstract headlines in international news: places vaguely associated with border control, “illegal migration,” and political disputes between governments. Rarely do we gain direct access to the daily realities inside such facilities, especially in countries like Turkey, where detention centres are largely invisible to the public eye and shielded from scrutiny.
That invisibility is precisely what makes 46 Days of Captivity – Çankırı: The End of The World such an important book. Written under the pen name Hope Paradise, the work is not a political essay or a speculative account—it is a first-hand testimony from someone who lived through 46 days of confinement in one of Turkey’s migrant detention centres. It exposes not only the physical conditions of detention but also the wider political and human rights implications of a system operating beyond accountability.
A World Hidden in Plain Sight
Turkey plays a central role in Europe’s migration management system. As a buffer state between the Middle East and the European Union, Turkey hosts millions of refugees and migrants, while also running a network of detention centres funded and, in many ways, encouraged by European institutions.
Yet these facilities are rarely covered by journalists, and access for NGOs or independent monitors is limited. To outsiders, the detention system is practically invisible. That is why Hope Paradise’s testimony—based on lived experience in Çankırı, a provincial detention facility—offers a rare and unfiltered window into what goes on behind closed doors.
The book’s description points out a disturbing truth: these centres are not simply bureaucratic holding spaces. They are environments where law is suspended, dignity eroded, and people reduced to numbers. What happens there is not merely an exception to the rule of law, but a daily practice of impunity.
The Author’s Story: From Citizen to “Illegal Migrant”
At the core of this book is the author’s sudden transformation from citizen to detainee. Stripped of Turkish citizenship in an abrupt and politically motivated decision linked to tensions between Ankara and Tehran, he was reclassified overnight as an “illegal migrant.”
This reclassification was not just a bureaucratic label—it meant immediate loss of rights, vulnerability to detention, and exposure to a system designed to silence rather than protect. Within hours, a person with a life, history, and identity became, in the eyes of the state, a disposable body.
This theme resonates far beyond Turkey. Around the world, similar stories of statelessness and political exile show how fragile citizenship can be, and how easily governments can weaponize legal categories against individuals.
Conditions Inside: Beyond the Law
Hope Paradise’s account details what life inside Çankırı’s detention centre looked like. It is a picture of systemic neglect, psychological torment, and constant uncertainty.
Overcrowding: Detainees were forced into cramped quarters where basic privacy was impossible.
Neglect of health and basic needs: Access to medical care and even sufficient food was inconsistent.
Dehumanization: Guards and administrators operated in a culture of impunity, where detainees’ complaints and rights had no weight.
Psychological pressure: The uncertainty of not knowing how long one would remain detained, or whether release was possible at all, inflicted deep emotional strain.
This is not an accidental byproduct of poor management; according to the book, it is the very logic of the detention system. Stripping away dignity and maintaining uncertainty function as tools of control.
The EU Connection: Quiet Complicity
One of the most striking aspects of 46 Days of Captivity is how it connects personal experience to broader European policy. The detention centres in Turkey are not isolated national projects. They are, directly or indirectly, funded, equipped, and legitimized by the European Union.
Through agreements like the EU–Turkey migration deal, Europe effectively outsources part of its border enforcement to Turkey. While this reduces the number of arrivals on European soil, it also means Europe is implicated in whatever practices occur within Turkey’s detention system.
The book forces readers—especially in Europe—to confront a difficult question: What is being done in Europe’s name, beyond Europe’s borders?
Bearing Witness: Why Testimony Matters
Hope Paradise makes clear that writing this book was not about personal gain or literary ambition. In fact, the work is offered free of charge, with only the printed versions priced at cost to cover Amazon’s printing and shipping fees.
The purpose is singular: to shed light. To bring into public consciousness what remains hidden. To give voice to those who cannot speak.
This act of testimony is, in itself, a form of resistance. Silence may be safer for those who survive detention, but silence also allows the system to continue unchecked. By publishing his story, the author chooses instead to bear witness—to ensure that the suffering he saw is not erased.
Why Readers Should Care
Some may wonder why stories like this matter to those outside Turkey, or outside migrant communities. The answer is twofold:
Human rights are universal. What happens in one detention centre is part of a global pattern of eroding protections for migrants, refugees, and stateless individuals. Ignoring it today means normalizing it for tomorrow.
We are all implicated. When international institutions, including the EU, provide financial or political support for systems that violate human rights, then citizens of those institutions—ordinary Europeans—bear indirect responsibility. Awareness is the first step to accountability.
Conclusion: Breaking the Silence
46 Days of Captivity – Çankırı: The End of The World is not an easy read, nor is it meant to be. It does not offer comforting narratives or hopeful resolutions. Instead, it insists on confronting the uncomfortable reality of detention centres that operate in the shadows of legality.
By sharing his story, Hope Paradise has done what governments, institutions, and even much of the media have failed to do: reveal the human face of a hidden system. For readers, the responsibility is now ours—to read, to share, and to ensure that the silence surrounding Turkey’s detention centres is broken.
✦ 46 Days of Captivity – Çankırı: The End of The World is available for free download in PDF, ePub, and booklet editions, with printed versions offered at cost through Amazon.