Turkey expands arrests and bans ahead of NATO summit

Turkish authorities carried out dawn raids across Ankara in late June, detaining over 200 individuals and placing a stand-up comedian and two journalists in pre-trial custody. The arrests followed a ban on public demonstrations that remains in force until 10 July. Human Rights Watch said the measures illustrate Turkey’s “intolerance of freedom of speech and assembly” and noted a broader pattern of restrictions on opposition parties, media and expression ahead of the NATO summit that begins on Tuesday.

Comedian Deniz Göktaş was arrested after a June 1 performance in Istanbul in which he referred to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a dictator and made jokes about suicide bombers. Prosecutors charged him with insulting the president and denigrating religious values. In testimony, Göktaş argued that the term “dictator” is a political descriptor used in public debate.

In the coastal town of Aydın, officials prevented a cruise operated by Atlantis, a company that markets gay-friendly holidays, from docking, citing “behaviours” of passengers that allegedly conflict with “societal and moral values.” US actor Patti LuPone, scheduled to perform on the ship, said the ban was based solely on who was on board.

Two journalists were also arrested on Sunday: Buse Söğütlü, international news editor at T24, and Ceren Erdoğdu of OdaTV. Söğütlü’s lawyer, Erman Öztürk, told AFP the detentions were linked to the upcoming NATO summit. The prosecutor’s office said the raids aimed to uncover “the action and activities of terrorist organisations,” alleging ties to socialist, Marxist and Islamic State groups, though Human Rights Watch said no evidence of terrorism was presented.

Reporters Without Borders placed Turkey at 163rd out of 180 countries in its press-freedom index, accusing the government of using “all possible means” to suppress critics. Western officials have largely refrained from publicly criticizing Turkey’s rights record, focusing instead on security cooperation. Former US ambassador to Ankara David Satterfield told Reuters that continued Western commentary on Turkey’s democratic institutions remains important.