CHP's Namık Tan reacts to NATO measures: 'This has not happened in any country'

Former ambassador Namık Tan, now a member of the Republican People's Party's (CHP) Central Executive Board, has strongly criticized the security measures implemented in Ankara for the NATO summit. Tan asserted that never before in NATO's history, which has held 39 summits including one in Istanbul in 2004, have such stringent and stifling security measures been put in place. He highlighted that while protests against NATO exist in all member countries, including the United States, governments generally recognize the right to protest as a democratic freedom. Tan argued that imposing undemocratic restrictions on the public under the guise of security for a NATO summit is incompatible with Turkey's alliance membership. He questioned the logic behind closing major transit routes in the capital, suspending the right to assembly and demonstration, detaining dozens including university professors, forcing thousands of businesses to close temporarily, and implementing what he described as a virtual state of emergency in large parts of the city. "How will you compensate for the suffering, hardship, and financial loss that so many people will experience?" he asked. Tan suggested that the excessive measures stem from the ruling party's fear that the public's patience has run out due to their suppression tactics against the CHP and the opposition. He believes the government is concerned that even a simple NATO protest could escalate into a significant movement against their rule, compelling them to force citizens to stay home or leave Ankara. "You live with the fear that tests all administrations that have turned their backs on their own people," Tan stated, adding a warning: "But remember, no matter what you do, our people will give you the appropriate answer in the first democratic election."