More than 100 people were detained in Ankara on Sunday (5 July) after taking part in an anti-NATO protest organised by the Communist Party of Türkiye (TKP), according to the party.
The demonstration took place in the city's Kizilay Square ahead of the NATO summit, which begins on Tuesday. Leaders from the alliance's 32 member states, along with officials from partner countries, are due to attend.
Footage from the protest showed demonstrators waving flags and chanting anti-NATO slogans before riot police moved in and used tear gas to disperse the crowd. The TKP said more than 100 of its members, including party officials, had been detained.
Separate demonstrations also took place in Istanbul, where hundreds of people marched from Taksim Square to Dolmabahce. Two other protests were held in the Kadikoy district. Despite a heavy police presence, no clashes were reported.
"We have gathered today in many parts of Türkiye to protest against NATO," TKP Secretary General Kemal Okuyan said.
"We said that we would not hand over Ankara to supporters of NATO, that we would not allow Ankara to remain silent. We have fulfilled that promise," he added.
Authorities have stepped up security across Ankara ahead of the summit, banning demonstrations, closing roads and barricading large parts of the city.
The government did not immediately comment on the detentions.
The arrests come after a series of anti-terror operations in recent weeks. Last month, authorities detained 225 people in raids in Ankara, with 103 later arrested. On Sunday, local media also reported that 39 journalists, activists and academics had been detained in separate operations across the country.
Opposition figures criticised the latest arrests. DEM Party co-chair Tuncer Bakirhan accused the government of using the NATO summit to restrict basic rights.
"The country has been fully turned into a detention centre by using the NATO summit as an excuse," he wrote on X. "We are living through days of undeclared martial law."
Turkish prosecutors have previously said the anti-terror operations were aimed at uncovering militant group activities and have not linked them to the NATO summit.
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