Turkey detains over 100 at anti-NATO protest as crackdown widens before Ankara summit

Pre-summit security lockdown

Authorities have imposed a ban on demonstrations in Ankara from 28 June until 10 July and deployed roughly 40,000 security personnel across the capital. Major roads were closed, officials placed on leave, and public events including concerts and press conferences prohibited. The measures come as Turkey prepares to host leaders of the 32 NATO member states and partner countries on 7–8 July, with US president Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky among the attendees.

Arrests of journalists and activists

In the days before the summit, police carried out raids in several provinces, detaining journalists, academics, lawyers and leftist activists. Among those taken into custody were Buse Sogutlu of T24 and Ceren Erdogdu of Oda TV, as well as Ezgi Önalan, head of the Istanbul branch of the Contemporary Jurists Association. Lawyer Erman Öztürk said the operations appeared designed to "intimidate democrats, leftists and the press." Erol Önderoglu, RSF's Turkey representative, described the arrests as "blind, arbitrary and disorderly operations" that endangered journalists' safety and reputation.

Comedian jailed, cruise ship blocked

Stand-up comedian Deniz Göktaş was arrested last week and placed in pre-trial detention on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and denigrating religious values. The charges relate to a 1 June performance in Istanbul, a recording of which was released on YouTube on 24 June and viewed nearly 9 million times. Separately, authorities in the coastal town of Aydın blocked a cruise ship operated by Atlantis, a company specialising in gay-friendly holidays, from docking. Actor Patti LuPone, who was scheduled to perform onboard, wrote that the ship was banned "simply because of who is onboard."

Sunday's protest and police response

On Sunday, the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) organised a march to Kızılay Square in central Ankara, defying the demonstration ban. Protesters chanted "NATO murderer, out of our country" and "No passage for NATO." Riot police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and detained more than 100 participants, including party officials. The TKP confirmed the detentions in a statement. The protest followed earlier arrests of dozens of leftist activists in overnight operations across multiple provinces, adding to more than 220 detentions in preceding days.

International reaction

Human Rights Watch said the crackdown showed Turkey's "ruthless intolerance of freedom of speech and assembly." In Germany, deputy SPD parliamentary leader Siemtje Möller called on Chancellor Friedrich Merz to address the situation directly during the summit. "The ongoing attacks by President Erdoğan on the opposition and the rule of law must be clearly addressed. I expect the Chancellor to make that clear to the Turkish side," she said. Opposition leader Özgür Özel labelled the mass arrests a "shame" and accused authorities of making life difficult for their own people because foreign leaders were visiting.

Summit opens under shadow

The NATO summit convenes on Tuesday against a backdrop of intensifying rights violations. Reporters Without Borders ranks Turkey 163rd out of 180 countries on its press freedom index, and rights groups say the pre-summit operations are part of a years-long campaign to silence critics. The Turkish government has described the raids as counter-terrorism operations, but critics argue the real aim is to prevent any visible dissent during the high-profile gathering.