Germany’s Social Democrats have called on Chancellor Friedrich Merz to raise Turkey’s human rights record and rule-of-law concerns with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during this week’s NATO summit in Ankara.
“The ongoing attacks by host President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the opposition and the rule of law in Turkey must be clearly addressed,” Siemtje Möller, deputy leader of the Social Democratic Party’s (SPD) parliamentary group, told newspapers in the Funke Media Group on Monday.
“I expect the chancellor to make this clear to the Turkish side,” she said.
Merz, a member of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is expected to attend the July 7-8 summit in Ankara along with leaders of NATO’s 32 member states, including US President Donald Trump.
The SPD is the junior partner in Merz’s coalition government.
Möller said the decision to hold the NATO summit in Turkey was particularly sensitive because of the country’s domestic political situation.
Merz raised similar concerns during an official visit to Ankara last October, saying after talks with Erdoğan that some decisions in Turkey did not meet European standards on democracy and the rule of law.
He also said he had discussed concerns about judicial independence, including the case of jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
Möller’s remarks come amid growing criticism in Germany and elsewhere in Europe over Turkey’s crackdown on opposition politicians, journalists, civil society figures and protesters ahead of the summit.
Turkish media reported that dozens of people were detained in operations across several provinces on Sunday, including journalists and rights activists.
Turkey has also banned demonstrations in Ankara ahead of the summit, while rights groups have accused the government of using the event to further restrict peaceful assembly and free expression.
Human Rights Watch said last week that NATO leaders arriving in Ankara should not ignore the state of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Turkey.
The group said Erdoğan had consolidated power in his own office and was using the courts to target the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which defeated his ruling party in the 2024 local elections.
The CHP has faced growing pressure since İmamoğlu, widely seen as Erdoğan’s strongest political rival, was jailed last year. İmamoğlu was named the CHP’s presidential candidate on the day of his arrest on March 23, 2025, following an intra-party election.
A Turkish court also removed CHP leader Özgür Özel from party chairmanship in May, a ruling that Turkish opposition figures and critics have described as politically motivated.
Supporters of İmamoğlu have urged NATO leaders not to forget the jailed opposition politician during the summit.
While world leaders gather in Ankara to discuss security, Turkey’s partners should not treat the rule of law as a “mere footnote,” they said, according to Agence France-Presse.
“Strategic importance cannot replace democratic legitimacy,” they added.
The summit comes as Turkey seeks to showcase its role in NATO, including its large military, strategic location and growing defense industry.
But rights groups and opposition politicians say Ankara’s importance to the alliance should not shield Erdoğan from criticism over democratic backsliding.
Turkish Minute with reporting from Agence France-Presse