Turkish authorities detained two journalists ahead of the NATO summit opening in Ankara on Tuesday, their outlets and a rights group said.
The detentions came as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan prepares to host leaders of NATO’s 32 member states at the July 7-8 summit, held under heavy security measures and amid growing criticism over restrictions on media access and public demonstrations.
The opposition news website BirGün said its reporter Kayhan Ayhan was detained at his home in İstanbul on Monday night on accusations of “spreading false information.” Ayhan has been covering the trial of jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Erdoğan’s main political rival.
Ayhan was expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
The Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) said journalist Hazar Dost was also detained in İstanbul while shopping for food over charges related to his participation in a 2018 protest.
MLSA said Dost had previously been acquitted in the case but that prosecutors had appealed the ruling. He was also expected to be taken to court on Tuesday.
The latest detentions come after dozens of journalists, activists and government critics have been detained or arrested in recent months in operations criticized by rights groups as part of a wider crackdown ahead of the summit.
© Agence France-Presse