Turkey detains dozens of journalists, activists, and opposition members ahead of NATO summit in Ankara
Ankara, July 6, 2026
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Summary
Just before the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkish authorities detained dozens of people in several provinces, including journalists, lawyers, and members of leftist groups. Critics accuse the government of using the operations to prevent protests and intimidate opposition voices.
Ankara, July 6, 2026
Just days before the start of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkish authorities detained dozens of people in raids across several provinces, including journalists, lawyers, and members of leftist groups.
Background of the arrests
The arrests took place last Sunday, only two days before the beginning of the summit of the 32 NATO member states on July 7 and 8 in the Turkish capital. According to the state news agency Anadolu Agency, police arrested 39 suspects in raids across eight provinces. The newspaper Cumhuriyet, citing opposition media, spoke of dozens of additional arrests in several provinces.
During the raids, authorities seized ammunition and prohibited digital materials. In another operation in the western province of Kocaeli, police also detained 28 suspects allegedly linked to extremist groups, according to Anadolu.
Official justification and criticism
The authorities described the raids as part of counter-terrorism investigations. Critics, however, say the operations were aimed at preventing protests. According to them, the operation was directed against the youth wing of a banned leftist group.
There had already been arrests the previous week. On Sunday, news agencies reported 100 people in Ankara. They had taken part in a demonstration against the NATO summit, organized by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP).
Those affected among the detainees
According to human rights groups, more than 200 people had already been arrested in late June in the run-up to the summit, including academics, lawyers, trade unionists, students, press members, and representatives of civil society.
Among those detained on Sunday, according to their employers, were the foreign news chief of the outlet T24, Buse Sötüglü, and the journalist Ceren Erdogdu of the online medium Oda TV. Both were reportedly taken from their homes and placed in police custody. Police have not publicly commented on the reasons for their detention.
The Turkish Journalists' Association (TGC) and the Progressive Lawyers' Association (CHD) demanded the release of the detained journalists on the platform X. They described the arrests as a violation of press freedom and called the raids an attempt to intimidate opposition voices ahead of the NATO meeting. Several of their clients had also been arrested, the CHD said.
Reactions from journalists' and lawyers' associations
The chair of the CHD's Istanbul chapter, Ezgi Önalan, was also reportedly detained; her apartment was searched. CHD lawyer Erman Öztürk told the AFP news agency that he assumed the arrests were connected to the NATO summit.
Lawyer Öztürk said the apparent aim was to "intimidate democrats, the left, and the press." Erol Önderoglu, the Turkey representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), spoke of "blind, arbitrary, and disorderly operations" ahead of the NATO summit. These endangered "the reputation and safety of journalists."
The Turkish government under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had stepped up its security measures ahead of the NATO summit on July 7 and 8. The summit is expected to be attended by the heads of state and government of the 32 NATO member states, including US President Donald Trump.
Restricted reporting on the summit
According to media associations, conditions for independent reporting on the summit are also restricted. Several government-critical media outlets had still not received accreditation for the NATO summit. Around two weeks before the meeting, a court had ordered the website "NatoDefol" ("NATO, go away") blocked on grounds of national security and public order; the site could not be opened from within Turkey. For the same reason, the petition page "Nato'ya Hayir" ("No to NATO") was blocked.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the judicially appointed chairman of the largest opposition party CHP, criticized the suppression of protests on Sunday in a post on X addressed to Erdoğan. "It is not the existence of demonstrations that damages a country's reputation, but the suppression of the right to democratic protest," Kilicdaroglu wrote to Erdoğan on the online service X.
Opposition and view on İmamoğlu
Supporters of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been imprisoned since March 2025, called for the opposition politician not to be forgotten ahead of the NATO summit. "Strategic significance" cannot replace "democratic legitimacy," they said. While heads of state and government from around the world were discussing security in Ankara, Turkey's partners must not treat the rule of law as a "mere footnote," they said.
The international attention on the summit and the heightened security measures in the run-up are increasing pressure on Ankara to explain the proportionality of the operations. Human rights organizations and journalists' associations continue to demand the immediate release of those detained and unimpeded reporting on the summit meeting.
The Turkish government maintains the position that the operations serve domestic security and require no justification to external observers. It remains to be seen whether and in what form the arrests and press freedom will be raised during bilateral talks on the sidelines of the summit.
While the heads of state deliberate on security matters in Ankara on Tuesday and Wednesday, the human rights situation in the host country remains a highly controversial issue. The wave of arrests over the past week has further intensified the debate over the relationship between anti-terror legislation and fundamental rights in Turkey.
This article was prepared on the basis of reports from dpa and APA (7/6/2026). The editorial team relies on information from the news agencies AFP and Anadolu, as well as communications from the TGC, the CHD, and Reporters Without Borders.
Questions & Answers
Why did arrests take place ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara?
The Turkish authorities justified the raids in several provinces with counter-terrorism investigations. Human rights groups and the opposition, however, see them as an attempt to nip protests against the summit in the bud and intimidate critical voices.
Who was detained in the operations?
According to Anadolu and Turkish media, at least 39 suspects were arrested in eight provinces, including journalists such as Buse Sötüglü and Ceren Erdogdu, lawyers such as Ezgi Önalan, and members of leftist groups. In a parallel operation in Kocaeli, another 28 suspects were added, according to Anadolu.
What consequences do the arrests have for the NATO summit?
Several government-critical media outlets had still not received accreditation, and protest calls on the internet had been blocked. Journalists' and lawyers' associations such as the TGC, CHD, and Reporters Without Borders sharply criticized the operations and demanded the release of those detained.
Arrests ahead of NATO summit in Ankara: Raids in eight | allfacts360
