Turkey widens crackdown in Ankara ahead of NATO summit

Turkey has widened a crackdown on public life in the run-up to the NATO summit in Ankara, with more than 200 people arrested in raids across the capital last month. Authorities have also jailed comedian Deniz Göktaş, blocked a cruise ship carrying LGBTQ+ passengers from docking, and kept a protest ban in place until 10 July. The summit is due to begin on Tuesday, placing the security and rights measures under fresh international scrutiny.

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The arrests were carried out during raids across Ankara, according to the supplied report, although the exact number of people detained in each operation was not given. Human Rights Watch said the measures reflected what it described as a harsh intolerance of freedom of speech and assembly. The watchdog said the summit was taking place amid intensifying violations of basic rights, including restrictions on the main opposition party, the media and freedom of expression more broadly.

Göktaş was arrested last week and placed in pre-trial detention after arriving at Istanbul airport from holiday. He faces charges of insulting the president and denigrating religious values over a stand-up performance in Istanbul on 1 June, which was later posted on YouTube on 24 June. The recording has been viewed nearly 9 million times, according to the report.

In his testimony to prosecutors, Göktaş said the word dictator was a political term and that he had no intention of insulting or belittling anyone. The wider context is a tightening of public space at a moment when Turkey is hosting one of the most closely watched diplomatic gatherings in Europe. Restrictions on demonstrations, media pressure and prosecutions over speech can carry added significance when a country is preparing to receive foreign leaders and security delegations.

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The measures also raise questions about how domestic policing and political control are being managed alongside summit security. The report also described a separate incident in the coastal town of Aydın, where authorities blocked a cruise ship operated by Atlantis from docking. Officials said people on board were known for behaviours that did not align with the structure of society and moral values, according to the account.

The ship was carrying LGBTQ+ passengers, and the US actor and singer Patti LuPone said in a social media post that the cruise had been banned from entering Turkey simply because of who was on board. What remains unclear is how long the broader crackdown will continue after the summit begins and whether further arrests or restrictions will follow. It is also not clear whether the protest ban in Ankara will be extended beyond 10 July.

The coming days will show whether the authorities ease pressure once the summit is under way or maintain the current approach through the event.

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