Turkish police have arrested several journalists, rights activists, academics and members of leftist groups, according to media and unions in Türkiye on Sunday.
The raids in several provinces come as the Turkish government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stepped up security operations ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Turkish authorities have imposed strict restrictions on public gatherings in Ankara ahead of the summit.
Despite that ban, leftist protesters demonstrated against NATO in Ankara on Sunday.
What do we know about police raids in Türkiye?
Opposition broadcaster Hawk TV and cumhuriyet The police crackdown in Ankara, Istanbul and other provinces had targeted dozens of leftist and socialist political parties, labor unions and civil society groups, the newspaper reported.
The chairwoman of the Istanbul chapter of the Association of Contemporary Lawyers (CHD) was arrested and her apartment searched, with the organization saying that several of her clients were also arrested.
Buse Sotuglu, editor-in-chief of the T24 online newspaper, and Seren Erdogandu, a reporter for Oda TV, were arrested at their homes, their respective employers said.
No reason was given for their detention, but lawyer Erman Ozturk said he believed the arrests were related to the upcoming NATO summit.
Ozturk told news agency AFP that the police raids were an attempt to “intimidate democrats, leftists and the press”.
State news agency Anadolu said police arrested 39 suspects in nationwide raids that targeted the youth wing of the banned leftist organization THKP/C-Daev Yol.
According to Anadolu, police also detained 28 suspects in the western Kocaeli province with alleged ties to the “Islamic State” and leftist terrorist groups, with police seizing ammunition and contraband digital materials.
Groups condemn police action
While authorities say the raids are part of an anti-terrorism investigation, government critics say the police actions are designed to crack down on protests and quell dissent ahead of a summit in Ankara this week. More than 30 leaders of NATO member states, including US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, are set to attend.
Erol Onderoglu, Turkey’s representative for Reporters Without Borders (RSF), condemned the “blind, arbitrary and haphazard operations” which endangered “the reputation and safety of journalists”.
The Turkish Journalists Association (TGC) also condemned the arrests, saying, “It is unacceptable to put pressure on journalists and attempt to silence them by threatening detention.”
The TGC demanded the release of all those detained, warning that the raids were a violation of press freedom and the latest attempt to silence opposition dissent ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara.
Human rights activists say more than 200 people, including lawyers, academics, civil society representatives and students, were arrested in late June as part of a crackdown by Turkish authorities ahead of a NATO meeting.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
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