Erdoğan’s Government Detains Hundreds of Journalists and Critics Ahead of NATO Summit in Ankara

Turkey detained hundreds of journalists, lawyers, activists and left-wing critics in the lead-up to a NATO summit hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Courthouse News said the wave of arrests by Erdoğan’s government elicited almost no criticism from Western capitals, and it quoted Scott Lucas, a professor of international politics at University College Dublin, saying, “Everybody wants Turkey inside NATO and if you want Turkey in NATO, you don’t try to cross Erdoğan on what he’s doing internally.”

Aajil

The same Courthouse News report said Erdoğan was set to host two days of NATO talks at his presidential palace in Ankara, and it described the discussions as dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump, who had talked about withdrawing U.S. troops from Europe.

It also tied the crackdown to Erdoğan’s authoritarian rule and his government’s attacks on the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, while noting that in March 2025 police arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and that after 470 days he remained in prison awaiting trial.

Human Rights Watch called the court order a “deeply damaging blow to the rule of law, democracy and human rights,” as Begum Zorlu said the arrests reflected “a systematic dismantling of the opposition’s institutional base.”

At a news conference at the presidential complex in Ankara, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was asked about a crackdown on dissidents and journalists and about a jailed comedian before this week’s NATO summit.

Rutte answered, “When it comes to democracy, democracy is more than elections,” and he added that democracy also means “the free media, you in this room, that you can ask all the questions you want and write the pieces you want and do your research,” according to Turkish Minute.

ABC News

The question referred in part to comedian Deniz Göktaş, who was jailed pending trial last week over his stand-up show “Ölü Deniz,” which included political satire and comments about Erdoğan and religion, and Göktaş denied the accusations and said his remarks were satire.

Turkish Minute reported that Göktaş told Özgür Özel that he was made to walk five times in handcuffs during detention so footage could be recorded, and it quoted Göktaş saying, “They made me walk five times,” describing it as “like a film set.”

The same report said authorities tightened security in the capital, imposed restrictions on public gatherings and detained scores of people before the arrival of world leaders, while critics said NATO allies often focus on Turkey’s military and diplomatic role while avoiding public criticism of Erdoğan’s crackdown.

DW reported that Turkish police arrested several journalists, rights activists, academics and members of leftist groups in raids across provinces as the Turkish government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stepped up security operations ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday and Wednesday.

DW said Turkish authorities imposed a strict ban on public gatherings in Ankara ahead of the summit, and it reported that opposition broadcaster Halk TV and the Cumhuriyet newspaper said police operations targeted dozens of left-wing and socialist political parties, labor unions and civil society groups.

DW quoted lawyer Erman Ozturk, who told AFP that the police raids were seemingly trying to “intimidate democrats, leftists, and the press,” while Anadolu said police arrested 39 suspects in raids across the country targeting the youth wing of the banned leftist organization THKP/C-DEV YOL.

DW also reported that police detained 28 suspects in the western Kocaeli province who alleged ties to the “Islamic State” and left-wing militant groups, with police seizing ammunition and banned digital materials.

In parallel, Journalism Pakistan said Human Rights Watch warned the arrests and protest bans reflected a growing intolerance of free expression and independent scrutiny, and it quoted Human Rights Watch urging Turkish authorities to release those arbitrarily detained and lift blanket bans on peaceful demonstrations.