This gathering, which aimed to demonstrate the Alliance’s strength and Turkey’s strategic importance to the world, took place amid increasing pressures on freedom of expression and press freedom within the country

TAMER BAKAR

The capital, Ankara, hosted a NATO summit once again after a 22-year hiatus; however, it was not merely the leaders’ grand reception or the multi-billion-dollar defense agenda items on the table that defined the 36th NATO Summit. This gathering, which claimed to demonstrate the Alliance’s strength and Turkey’s strategic clout to the world, took place amid a crackdown on freedom of expression and press freedom within the country. The glittering protocol proceedings at Beştepe coincided with reports of arrests and bans on the streets on the very same days.

Journalist and political scientist Sezin Öney, speaking to Expression Interrupted, also highlighted the gulf between the summit’s pomp and the repressive measures taking place behind the scenes. Indeed, this report is less a diplomatic assessment of a NATO summit and more a story of where freedom of expression had ended up in Turkey at that time.

A massive organization

The two-day summit took place on 7–8 July 2026 at the Presidential Complex in Beştepe. In addition to the heads of state and government of the 32 NATO member countries, nine guest nations—including Ukraine, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand—were invited; alongside the leaders of these countries, their foreign and defence ministers also took their places at the table. The list of participants was not limited to the leaders alone: hundreds of diplomats, civil servants, members of technical delegations and members of the press from all over the world flooded into Ankara.

A single example suffices to illustrate the scale of the organization. US President Donald Trump arrived in the capital with a delegation of approximately 1,400 people; the total number of official delegations stood at around 6,000. When the leaders’ extensive security teams, logistical and technical support staff, and the approximately 2,000 international journalists covering the summit on the ground were added to this figure, the number of visitors arriving in Ankara over the two-day period reached 10,000. Security for the summit across the city was provided by a total of 44,000 police officers.

Summit cost nears TL 12 billion

This scale of an event also came with a price tag. According to a report by T24, the total cost of the summit amounted to TL 11 billion and 761 million, with the reconstruction of the military airport in Etimesgut accounting for the largest portion of this sum. According to journalist Zülfikar Doğan, speaking to Sputnik, this facility was rebuilt in just eight months under the name “Ankara Airport” and entered service as an international airport capable of accommodating 44 wide-body aircraft simultaneously. Throughout the summit, participants were served by three airports: Ankara, Esenboğa and Mürted.

Preparations were not limited to air travel alone. According to media reports, road-widening works, resurfacing and junction improvements along the routes between Esenboğa and the summit centre were completed through a joint effort by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and Ankara Metropolitan Municipality.

The most striking preparations, however, took place along the official routes. Vertical gardens were installed along the roads; trees and saplings worth TL 225,000 were brought in from Konya, Elâzığ, Manisa, Samsun and Amasya and planted at a cost of TL 801,325. The external facades of buildings were refurbished, whilst some houses along the routes were concealed from view by advertising hoardings. This use of billboards, in particular, drew criticism from the opposition.

The security situation was equally extensive. According to Sözcü, 40,000 police officers were deployed in the capital; the figure of over 56,000 “personnel” cited by the Communications Directorate also included the gendarmerie and other units. The Ankara Governor’s Office banned all rallies, demonstrations and the distribution of leaflets across the province between 28 June and 10 July 2026.

Press accreditation and the “locked-down city” at the center of criticism

As the figures show, no expense was spared on prestige. But what about democratic values?

An International Media Centre was set up at the Beştepe National Library for the summit; alongside the NATO Parliamentary Summit held at Dolmabahçe Palace on 28–29 June, various panels and workshops were organized on the sidelines of the summit. However, the focus of the Western press and international organizations did not stop at this grand program; the security and press freedom aspects of the organization also came to the fore.

The accreditation controversy directly targeted NATO. Fifteen press freedom and human rights organizations wrote to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, stating that accreditation applications from critical Turkish media outlets such as Halk TV, Sözcü TV, BirGün, Cumhuriyet, ANKA, Medyascope and T24 had been rejected without justification, and called for the decision to be reversed. The signatories emphasised that NATO’s reliance on the host country’s assessment raised concerns that accreditation decisions might have been influenced by the media outlets’ editorial stance.

It was not only the rejection of accreditation that fueled the debate. Human Rights Watch (HRW) described the detention of at least 209 people in Ankara ahead of the NATO Summit on 7–8 July as an indication of Turkey’s intolerance towards freedom of expression and assembly.

The organization brought the mass detentions, carried out in the capital whilst preparations for the summit were underway, to public attention in a statement published on 25 June. Among those detained during operations carried out on the night of 22 June into 23 June were political activists, lawyers, an academic and Yıldız Tar, a journalist and LGBTI+ rights advocate.

In a statement issued on 23 June, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office stated that the operation aimed to “uncover the actions and activities of terrorist organizations,” and those detained were linked to left-wing groups and ISIS. However, no details were provided regarding any specific crime or criminal activity.

Öney highlighted the contradiction between the grandeur of the summit and the repressive measures being carried out behind the scenes: “In a sense, you are holding a very lavish, grandiose summit that ‘reflects Turkey’s power.’ But there are no Turkish citizens here; they are being kept completely away from the summit. On the one hand, there were detentions or refusals of accreditation for various individuals; on the other, foreign journalists and the ‘lucky few’ from Turkey who managed to secure accreditation were presented with bags, gifts and incredible hospitality. What about the hardships faced by ‘unlucky’ journalists in Turkey, or Turkish citizens in general? Normally, foreign policy is conducted for the benefit of citizens. Yet you are organizing this summit for others, whilst sidelining – or even trampling on – the interests of your own citizens. In that case, for whom is this summit being held?”

Benjamin Ward, HRW’s Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia, also reacted in a statement to the way anti-terrorism laws are being used: “Carrying out mass detentions ahead of a NATO summit and misusing counter-terrorism laws to silence people is fundamentally at odds with the alliance’s founding values. The Turkish authorities must immediately release those detained; NATO, meanwhile, must insist that people be allowed to peacefully express their views and assemble during the summit.” (HRW)

The legal framework for these detentions was also contentious. The night before the operations, the Ankara Governor’s Office had banned all gatherings and demonstrations, as well as activities such as distributing leaflets and displaying banners, from midnight on 28 June until midnight on 10 July. This 13-day ban, declared on grounds of security and public order, also encompassed “preventative law enforcement powers.” However, the Public Prosecutor’s Office made no direct reference to the summit or the ban in its statement regarding the detentions.

The details of the process also fueled reactions. A decision was issued preventing contact with those detained for 24 hours; however, lawyers were permitted to visit them after this period. According to reports in the national press, a person wanted on suspicion of links to ISIS was killed in a clash with police during an attempt to detain him.

HRW stated that all of this forms part of a broader pattern of human rights violations in Turkey. The organization highlighted that the leadership of the main opposition party, the CHP, had been removed from office by a court order; that Ekrem İmamoğlu, the elected Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, had been jailed and was on trial; and that at least 21 journalists and media workers were currently in prison. The organization also criticized the blocking of access to the social media accounts of certain LGBTI+ and women’s rights organizations, including those working in the field of violence against women.

A climate not confined to the summit: the Deniz Göktaş case

This situation was not limited to the days of the summit. During the same period, the story of a comedian on trial for jokes made on stage highlighted, on an individual level, how the scope of freedom of expression in Turkey has narrowed. Deniz Göktaş, who was detained at the airport upon her return from abroad on charges of “insulting the president” and “publicly denigrating religious values” – over remarks made during his stand-up show – was imprisoned pending trial by the court. The decision was interpreted as yet another facet of the repressive environment highlighted by human rights defenders and garnered widespread attention both in the domestic and international press.

According to political scientist Sezin Öney, the proceedings against Göktaş represent a fresh example of the tension between the government and social opposition. Öney interpreted the fact that Göktaş’s stand-up show was watched by millions of people despite the access block as an indication that society continues to respond to censorship attempts through various means.

Göktaş’s arrest was also raised at the summit. During a press conference held at the Presidential Complex prior to the summit, a reporter from the Netherlands’ official news agency, ANP, put a direct question to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. The journalist, recalling the measures taken in recent weeks against opposition politicians, journalists and the comedian Deniz Göktaş, asked whether Ankara was still a suitable venue to host a summit “bringing together liberal democracies” and whether these issues would be discussed with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Rutte avoided making any direct criticism of Turkey; instead, he emphasized the principles of democracy. “Democracy is more than just elections,” said Rutte, noting that a free and independent media, where journalists can ask the questions they wish, carry out the investigations they wish, and where people can organize demonstrations if they so choose, is part of democracy; he added that it is important for NATO that the media can participate in such major events without restrictions. He said that the summit presented a good opportunity for leaders to address these issues directly with Erdoğan.

The issue also had repercussions during the live broadcast: in state-run TRT’s Turkish translation, the sections of the Dutch journalist’s question relating to Deniz Göktaş’s detention and the pre-summit arrests were omitted; the question was instead presented merely as a “general question regarding the judiciary and democracy.” This incomplete translation sparked a separate debate on social media.

The imprisonment of Göktaş drew reactions from politicians, legal organizations, professional bodies and international human rights organizations. Numerous international media outlets, including the BBC, ABC News, Bloomberg, Deutsche Welle and Balkan Insight, also covered the incident in the context of the state of freedom of expression in Turkey. Over 100 writers, journalists and artists from various European countries also issued a joint statement calling for Göktaş’s release.

The lingering question following the summit

Ankara showcased its diplomatic clout by hosting world leaders for two days; with billions of TL invested in airports, roads and infrastructure, it once again demonstrated the principle that “you cannot skimp on prestige.” However, alongside this splendor, headlines such as detentions, bans on demonstrations, rejected accreditations and the arrest of Deniz Göktaş formed the other half of the picture. The summit may have reinforced Turkey’s standing on the international stage; yet it left behind a broad section of society searching for an answer to the question posed by Sezin Öney: if the price of this splendor is the silencing of citizens, for whom was this summit really held