Turkiye’s Detention of Journalists Ahead of NATO Summit Raises Human Rights Concerns

Human Rights Research Center
6 minutes ago
2 min read

July 10, 2026

HRRC strongly condemns the arbitrary detention and arrest of journalists in Türkiye ahead of the NATO Summit, which represents a grave attack on press freedom and the public’s right to information. We urge Turkish authorities to immediately release all detained journalists and end the use of restrictive laws to silence independent reporting.

Riot police raise their shields to prevent media members from filming and photographing the detention of demonstrators as they try to protest ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 5, 2026. [Image credit: Reuters/Efekan Akyuz via CPJ]

Turkish authorities detained at least 11 journalists and media workers in the two weeks leading up to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in Ankara on 7-8 July, raising serious concerns over press freedom and freedom of expression.

Human rights groups have described the detentions as arbitrary and part of a larger crackdown on independent press, civil society, lawyers, media workers, academics and government critics.

Several journalists were accused of spreading false information under Turkiye’s 2022 disinformation law, which carries a prison sentence of 1 to 3 years and has continuously been used against media workers. Among those targeted were Doğa Baskan of Evrensel, Ali Çağatay of Sputnik Turkey, Gülnur Saydam of Cumhuriyet, and Kayhan Ayhan of BirGün’ all were questioned or arrested over their social media activity.

Yildiz Tar, the editor-in-chief of Kaos GL, was also arrested on charges related to terrorism following police raids. At the same time, journalists such as Buse Söğütlü, Ceren Erdoğdu and Abbas Vural were detained in pre-summit raids. Accreditation was also denied to independent media groups, and RTUK issued a warning that NATO Summit coverage would be monitored from a national security perspective.

Human rights and press freedom-related organizations have said the use of anti-terror laws, disinformation charges, device seizures, alleged mistreatment and restrictions on legal access violate international standards, including Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The organizations have urged Turkish authorities to release the detained journalists, drop false charges and end the use of restrictive laws to silence independent journalism.

Glossary

Accreditation – the fact of being officially recognized, accepted, or approved of, or the act of officially recognizing, accepting, or approving of something.
Arbitrary – chosen, decided, etc. seemingly at random or on a whim rather than in a reasoned or methodical way.
Charges – to make an assertion or accusation against, especially by formally ascribing guilt or blame for an offense.
Civil Society – Civil society refers to the collective of non-governmental organizations, community groups, and associations that operate independently of the state and the market.
Detained – to hold or keep in or as if in custody.
Disinformation – false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth.
Raids – a sudden invasion by officers of the law.
Seizures – the taking possession of a person or property by legal process.

References

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Turkiye’s Detention of Journalists Ahead of NATO Summit Raises Human Rights Concerns

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