ISTANBUL (Medyascope) – Turkish authorities have announced restrictions and arrests in Ankara ahead of the planned NATO Summit in the Turkish capital next month.
The summit will take place on July 7th and 8th and is expected to be attended by leaders from across the alliance.
Major restrictions announced for second week of July
On Monday (June 22), Ankara’s governor announced major restrictions in the capital to coincide with the week of the military alliance summit. Public officials working in nine of Ankara’s central districts will be placed on administrative leave. Medical, security, emergency, and communications officials will be exempt from this week-long leave. A general ban was also announced on all concerts, graduation ceremonies, panels, symposiums, festivals, and celebrations organized by all public institutions from July 6th-12th.
Ankara’s Etimesgut Airport, typically only used for military purposes, was remodeled ahead of the NATO Summit and will serve as the primary airport facilitating the arrival and departure of foreign officials.
US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are all expected to be in attendance.
Wave of arrests prior to summit
Early Tuesday (June 23), 209 individuals were arrested in Ankara on suspicion of ‘membership in terror organizations’. A list of the detained individuals’ suspected affiliations released by officials in Ankara included 30 suspected members of ISIS.
Among those arrested was Yıldız Tar, Editor-in-Chief of Turkey’s well-known LGBTQ magazine Kaos GL. Tar was taken into custody Tuesday in Ankara and had been scheduled to appear before a judge Wednesday to testify in an ongoing case related to Peoples’ Democratic Congress, a union of leftist political organizations in Turkey that includes Kaos.
Tar has previously been targeted by legal proceedings and was most recently acquitted in January 2025 on charges of ‘violating laws related to gatherings and protest marches.’
Restrictions and arrests in Ankara ahead of NATO Summit | Written/translated by Leo Kendrick for Medyascope
