Turkey has detained more than 100 people, including journalists and activists, in the run-up to the NATO summit in Ankara, as authorities step up security measures ahead of the arrival of world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump.
Police have intensified security operations across the Turkish capital ahead of the July 7-8 summit, closing major roads and increasing security presence throughout the city.
Among those detained were Buse Söğütlü, international news editor at the independent news outlet T24, and OdaTV journalist Ceren Erdogdu, according to their respective media organizations. Erman Ozturk, Söğütlü’s lawyer, said they believe the detention is linked to the upcoming NATO summit.
The Turkish representative of the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Erol Onderoglu, condemned what he described as “arbitrary and chaotic actions” carried out ahead of the summit, warning that they threaten both journalists’ safety and Turkey’s international reputation.
The daily newspaper Cumhuriyet reported that dozens of additional people had been arrested, although authorities have not publicly clarified the reasons for all detentions.
Among those detained was also Ezgi Onalan, head of the Istanbul branch of the Contemporary Lawyers Association (CHD), according to the organization.
Human Rights Watch criticized the arrests, saying that the detention of nearly 200 people ahead of the summit demonstrated what it called a “ruthless intolerance” toward freedom of expression in Turkey. The organization said those detained included political activists, lawyers, academics, journalists and LGBT activists.
Turkish prosecutors have argued that the operations were aimed at preventing activities linked to terrorist organizations.
Authorities have also imposed a ban on all protests in Ankara until the end of the summit. The Communist Party of Turkey said that 19 of its members were arrested during demonstrations in the capital.
Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu criticized the restrictions, arguing that “the existence of protests does not damage a country’s reputation, but suppressing the democratic right to protest does.”
The NATO summit comes at a time when relations between U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are seen as closer than in recent years, while European allies seek assurances about Washington’s long-term commitment to the alliance.