Turkey Cracks Down On Leftist Activists, Journalists Ahead Of NATO Summit; Over 100 Arrested
Turkey Cracks Down On Leftist Activists, Journalists Ahead Of NATO Summit; Over 100 Arrested Published By, Last Updated: July 07, 2026, 09:40 IST Turkish police
Turkey Cracks Down On Leftist Activists, Journalists Ahead Of NATO Summit; Over 100 Arrested Published By, Last Updated: July 07, 2026, 09:40 IST Turkish police have reportedly detained journalists, academics and members of left-wing groups during police raids in several provinces as Ankara gears up to host NATO summit. People carry a banner during a protest, ahead of NATO leaders' summit, in Istanbul, Turkey. (Source: Reuters) Turkish police on Sunday arrested more than 100 rights activists, academics, journalists and members of leftist groups ahead of the NATO summit, according to media and unions in the country. Turkish police have carried out raids across several provinces as the Turkish government, headed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stepped up its security operations ahead of the NATO summit, which will take place in Ankara on Tuesday and Wednesday. Turkey’s government has also banned public gatherings in Ankara ahead of the summit. However, defying the ban, the left-wing protesters protested against NATO in Ankara on Sunday. Police Raids In Turkey According to Halk TV and the Cumhuriyet newspaper, the police operations in Ankara, Istanbul and other provinces targeted dozens of labour unions, left-wing and socialist political parties and civil society groups.
Also Read: Netanyahu Wants Trump To ‘Rein In’ Erdoğan, Halt F-35 Fighter Jet Deal With Turkey Ahead Of NATO Summit The police arrested the chairwoman of the Istanbul chapter of the Association of Contemporary Lawyers (CHD), and her apartment was searched, according to the organisation. It further said that several of her clients were also arrested. Oda TV’s reporter Ceren Erdogdu and editor-in-chief of the T24 online newspaper Buse Sotuglu were also arrested at their homes, according to their respective employers. The police did not specify any reason for their detentions, but lawyer Erman Ozturk said that the arrests were probably related to the upcoming NATO summit. Speaking to the AFP news agency, Ozturk said that the police raids were apparently trying to “intimidate democrats, leftists, and the press." According to the state news agency Anadolu, the police arrested 39 suspects in raids carried out across the country. It added that the raids targeted the youth wing of the banned leftist organisation THKP/C-DEV YOL. The police also detained 28 suspects in Kocaeli province who had alleged ties to the “Islamic State" and left-wing militant groups and seized their ammunition and banned digital materials, Anadolu reported.
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