Turkey detains dozens, including journalists, in new wave of raids ahead of NATO summit

Police detained dozens of people this morning in simultaneous raids across multiple provinces ahead of a NATO summit scheduled for Jul 7–8 in Ankara, the capital.

The operations took place in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Kocaeli, Antalya, Dersim, Urfa, Çanakkale, and Bursa. Those detained include academics, lawyers, law students, association members, political party representatives, and trade unionists.

Journalists are among the detained. Police detained bianet contributor Abbas Vural, T24 editor Buse Söğütlü, and OdaTV editor Ceren Erdoğdu during morning raids on their homes.

Erdoğdu recently reported on a petition launched by the “No to NATO Initiative,” formed by Muslims against the bloc.

Lawyers detained

The Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) announced that its İstanbul branch head, lawyer Ezgi Önalan, and member Yunusemre Işık were detained. The group said many clients of its lawyers were also detained in simultaneous operations.

“End the political operations that promise a rose garden without thorns to NATO,” the association stated.

Law students Boran Işıldak and Burhan Can were detained in Ankara. The ÇHD stated the detentions were based on work conducted prior to the NATO summit and demanded their release.

Socialist groups targeted

In Antalya, police raided homes and detained at least 35 people. The detainees include 11 members of the People’s Houses (Halkevleri) group, among them central executive board member Gürkan Gülseven, Antalya branch head Gülcan Şahin, and the entire local branch management.

Members of the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) Antalya provincial organization, Labor Youth, and the Kaldıraç Movement were also taken into custody. Additionally, Private Sector Teachers’ Union central executive board member Yiğit Pertev, Antalya provincial spokesperson Diğde Simay Pertev, and provincial representative Mehmet Akif Karaca were detained in the province.

In Ankara’s Tuzluçayır neighborhood, police raided a branch office of the Anatolia Culture and Researc Association (AKA-DER) on the evening prior to the morning operations, detaining at least nine people.

Police also detained at least six people from Antakya and three from Adana from the Kaldıraç movement, alongside at least five people traveling from İzmir to Ankara.

Raids in Kocaeli resulted in the detention of at least six people, including members and executives of the Labor Party (EMEP) and members of Kaldıraç.

In Urfa, members of EMEP, TİP, and the Socialist Laborers Party (SEP) were taken into custody. Detentions in Çanakkale and Bursa involved members of Revolutionary Youth Associations and employees and readers of the Devrimci Hareket magazine.

In İstanbul, raids targeted Revolutionary Youth Associations and the Revolutionary Movement, while the Friendship and Culture Association reported multiple detentions of its members in both İstanbul and İzmir. Members of Partizan, BDSP, SMİ, and SODAP were also detained in İzmir, while readers of Partizan were targeted in Dersim.

Academic and writer taken into custody

Separately, academic Sibel Özbudun and writer Temel Demirer were detained in İstanbul as part of an investigation conducted by the Muğla Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding social media posts. Both individuals are expected to be transferred to Muğla.

Crackdown ahead of NATO summit

Official authorities have not yet released a statement regarding the detentions. In a previous crackdown on Jun 23-24, authorities detained over 220 people, including journalists, academics, environmental activists, and students, on terrorism charges. Courts later formally arrested 103 of those individuals.

Authorities have not explicitly linked either wave of crackdowns to the upcoming alliance meeting.

The upcoming NATO summit will take place at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, bringing together officials from 32 countries. Around 40,000 security personnel will be deployed during the event, and strict traffic restrictions will be implemented, completely prohibiting access to the summit venue and areas hosting foreign leaders.

Road preparation along convoy routes has included painting house facades and erecting billboards focused on NATO and the Turkish defense industry, drawing public criticism for restricting movement and presenting a superficial display for visiting dignitaries.

(HA/VK)