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At least 668 people were detained across Turkey in raids and protests surrounding NATO’s July 7-8 summit in Ankara, while 179 were jailed pending trial in the largest investigation, according to a report by a lawyers’ group affiliated with the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP).
In a review of measures taken before and during the summit, Lawyers for Justice accused the Turkish government of exceeding the principle of proportionality and violating rights including personal liberty, peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and the press, freedom of movement and access to legal counsel.
The restrictions, which extended well beyond the capital, were used as “a tool of intimidation” against government opponents, the group said.
The largest operation began June 23 under an investigation by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Police detained 225 people, 220 of whom were referred to court, which jailed 179 pending trial and put 34 more under house arrest.
The crackdown expanded in the days surrounding the summit. More than 150 people were detained during anti-NATO demonstrations in six cities on July 5, while 39 others were taken into custody in raids across nine provinces the same day. The tally also included 61 detentions in an İzmir-based investigation, 74 at a July 7 protest in Ankara and 12 at a demonstration in İstanbul’s Beyoğlu district.
The report does not explain how it calculated the overall totals, which cannot be fully reconciled with the individual detention and pretrial arrest figures listed in its account and may include overlapping cases or incidents for which no separate breakdown was provided.
Lawyers involved in the cases reported allegations of mistreatment and difficulties meeting with clients, which they said restricted detainees’ access to legal assistance and their right to a defense.
Authorities also imposed broad restrictions on public gatherings. Demonstrations, marches, news conferences, sit-ins and similar events were banned in Ankara for 13 days, while restrictions lasting between eight and 14 days were introduced in 10 other provinces.
Lawyers for Justice argued that the bans effectively suspended the constitutional right to peaceful assembly rather than responding to clearly defined security threats. Symposiums, graduation ceremonies, concerts, festivals and other public events were also halted in Ankara.
The summit brought extensive disruption to transportation and daily life. Air traffic at Ankara’s Esenboğa Airport was temporarily restricted, major roads were closed and motorcycle couriers were barred from designated routes around the presidential complex and hotels hosting foreign delegations.
Online expression and media access were also affected. More than 20 X accounts associated with journalists, academics, women’s and LGBT rights groups and other activists were initially blocked, according to data cited in the review.
NATO’s Strategic Communications Office rejected accreditation applications from at least eight journalists working for outlets including Halk TV, Sözcü TV, Nefes, BirGün, Cumhuriyet, the ANKA news agency, Medyascope and T24.
Turkey’s broadcasting watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), meanwhile urged television networks to take account of what it called the public interest and a national security perspective in news and discussion programs.
The group also estimated that summit-related spending on roads, landscaping, building facades and airport resurfacing exceeded 11 billion Turkish lira ($233 million).
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last week defended the security campaign, saying his government “did not leave anything to chance” and describing the measures as proportionate.
His remarks did not address allegations that the summit was used to target journalists, lawyers, academics, students, union members, environmental campaigners and members of left-wing political groups.
Lawyers for Justice concluded that the measures violated constitutional protections and Turkey’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.