Turkish police have reportedly detained journalists, academics, and members of left-wing groups during raids in several provinces, as the capital Ankara prepares to host a major NATO summit this week.
According to media and unions in Turkey on Sunday, police arrested several journalists, rights activists, academics, and leftist group members. The raids come as the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan intensifies security operations ahead of the NATO summit scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in Ankara.
Turkish authorities have imposed a strict ban on public gatherings in Ankara before the summit. Despite the ban, left-wing protesters demonstrated against NATO in Ankara on Sunday.
Opposition broadcaster Halk TV and the Cumhuriyet newspaper reported that police operations in Ankara, Istanbul, and other provinces targeted dozens of left-wing and socialist political parties, labor unions, and civil society groups. The chairwoman of the Istanbul chapter of the Association of Contemporary Lawyers (CHD) was arrested and her apartment searched; several of her clients were also detained.
The editor-in-chief of online newspaper T24, Buse Sotuglu, and Oda TV reporter Ceren Erdogdu were arrested at their homes. No reasons were given, but lawyer Erman Ozturk presumed the arrests were linked to the upcoming NATO summit. Ozturk told AFP that the raids seemed aimed at “intimidating democrats, leftists, and the press.”
State news agency Anadolu said police arrested 39 suspects in nationwide raids targeting the youth wing of the banned leftist organization THKP/C-DEV YOL. Additionally, 28 suspects were detained in the western Kocaeli province over alleged ties to the “Islamic State” and left-wing militant groups; ammunition and banned digital materials were seized.
While authorities claim the raids are part of counterterrorism investigations, government critics argue the crackdown is designed to prevent protests and silence dissent ahead of the summit. Over 30 NATO leaders, including US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, are expected to attend.
Turkey's representative for Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Erol Onderoglu, condemned the “blind, arbitrary, and haphazard operations” that endanger “the reputation and safety of journalists.” The Turkish Journalists' Association (TGC) also denounced the arrests, calling it “unacceptable for journalists to be placed under pressure and attempted to be silenced through the threat of detention.”
The TGC demanded the release of all detainees, warning that the raids violate press freedoms and are the latest attempt to suppress opposition dissent before the NATO summit. Human rights activists say over 200 people, including lawyers, academics, civil society representatives, and students, were arrested in late June as part of the crackdown.
Source: www.dw.com