Turkey detains hundreds, bans gatherings as NATO summit sparks protests

Ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkish authorities detained dozens of journalists and warned broadcasters, while the media regulator RTÜK announced monitoring of coverage. Security forces closed major roads and imposed a state of emergency, deploying tens of thousands of police and soldiers. Protests erupted in several cities, including Çorum, Eskişehir and Ankara, where demonstrators displayed anti‑imperialist slogans and called for Turkey’s withdrawal from NATO. Police interventions resulted in dozens of arrests, with reports of over a hundred detainee in anti‑NATO rallies and 35 arrests in Eskişehir alone. The summit also featured diplomatic activity: NATO officials discussed lifting U.S. sanctions on Turkey and the possible delivery of F‑35 aircraft, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte emphasized the right to protest. Danish journalists questioned NATO leadership on U.S. statements about Greenland, highlighting internal alliance tensions. Kosovo was noted as absent from the meeting, and German politicians called for clear statements on Turkey’s role. The extensive security measures and mass arrests underscore the heightened domestic unrest surrounding the summit.