Türkiye has cracked down on dissent ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara. More than 200 people were arrested in protest marches and anti-terror raids, including academics, lawyers, and journalists; a comedian who mocked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was held at the airport.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a key opposition figure, was bundled between three legal hearings to face charges that carry up to 2,300 years in prison: An EU diplomat said there was no longer “even the appearance of a fair trial.”
Although NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has supported the right to demonstrate, the alliance is unwilling to criticize Türkiye, which has its second-largest army and a major defense industry, as the US takes a back seat.
