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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Elections & Politics

Turkey steps up arrests of journalists and activists ahead of NATO summit

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Turkish police have arrested dozens of journalists, activists, and members of leftist groups ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara.
  • The raids across multiple provinces are seen by critics as an attempt to suppress dissent and prevent protests during the summit.
  • Authorities state the operations are part of counterterrorism efforts, but critics condemn them as arbitrary and a violation of press freedoms.

Turkish police have intensified arrests of journalists, rights activists, academics, and members of leftist organizations in the run-up to a crucial NATO summit in Ankara. The operations, spanning several provinces, have targeted dozens of individuals and groups, raising concerns among critics about the state of press freedom and political dissent in the country.

Authorities, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have imposed strict bans on public gatherings in Ankara for the summit, which will host over 30 NATO leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Despite the ban, some left-wing protesters demonstrated against NATO on Sunday.

intimidate democrats, leftists, and the press.

— Erman OzturkA lawyer commenting on the perceived motive behind the police raids.

Opposition media and unions reported that police raids targeted left-wing and socialist political parties, labor unions, and civil society groups. The chairwoman of the Istanbul chapter of the Association of Contemporary Lawyers was arrested, along with several of her clients. Prominent journalists, including the editor-in-chief of T24 online newspaper and a reporter for Oda TV, were also detained at their homes. While no official reasons were given for the detentions, lawyers suspect they are linked to the upcoming summit, aimed at intimidating opposition figures and the press.

State news agency Anadolu reported the arrest of 39 suspects in nationwide raids targeting the youth wing of a banned leftist organization, and an additional 28 suspects in Kocaeli province for alleged ties to "Islamic State" and left-wing militant groups. Authorities maintain these are counterterrorism investigations. However, government critics, including Reporters Without Borders and the Turkish Journalists' Association, have condemned the operations as "blind, arbitrary, and haphazard," endangering journalists and violating press freedoms. They argue the crackdown is designed to silence dissent ahead of the high-profile summit.

unacceptable for journalists to be placed under pressure and attempted to be silenced through the threat of detention.

— Turkish Journalists' Association (TGC)A statement denouncing the arrests and pressure on journalists.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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