TRT, Turkey’s state broadcaster, is facing accusations that during a press conference ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, it censored the live Turkish translation of a question to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte by omitting references to jailed comedian Deniz Göktaş and a recent crackdown on government critics.
A Dutch journalist asked Rutte whether Ankara was an appropriate venue for a gathering of “liberal democracies” given what the reporter described as a recent crackdown on opposition figures, including the imprisonment of comedian Göktaş and the detention of critics ahead of the summit.
The journalist also asked whether NATO leaders would raise those issues with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
However, TRT’s simultaneous Turkish translation omitted references to Göktaş, the recent detentions and alleged pressure on government critics, instead summarizing the question as asking broadly about democracy, the judiciary and Erdoğan’s administration, according to comparisons shared by journalists and media outlets.
The discrepancy was highlighted by journalist Damla Doğan Tuncel, who compared the original English question with TRT’s live translation.
Responding to the original question, Rutte said democracy involved more than holding elections.
“Democracy is much more than only free elections,” he said, adding that free media, independent journalism, the ability to ask questions and the right to demonstrate were fundamental democratic principles. He also said it was important that journalists be able to attend major events such as NATO summits.
Critics also said TRT did not broadcast that portion of Rutte’s answer during its live coverage.
The controversy came amid heightened scrutiny of Turkey’s human rights record during the NATO summit. Several independent Turkish media outlets said they had been denied accreditation to cover the gathering, while authorities imposed sweeping security measures across Ankara, including protest bans and road closures.
In the days leading up to the summit, Turkish authorities detained at least 225 people in nationwide operations targeting alleged militant networks, including journalists, lawyers, academics and political activists. Separately, police detained more than 100 people during anti-NATO demonstrations organized by the Communist Party of Turkey. The government said the operations were part of counterterrorism investigations and unrelated to the summit, while critics said they amounted to a broad crackdown on dissent.
Göktaş, a 32-year-old stand-up comedian known for political satire, was detained last week and jailed pending trial over his “Ölü Deniz” (Dead Sea) show, which attracted millions of views online. Prosecutors accused him of insulting President Erdoğan, publicly denigrating religious values and inciting hatred after he referred to Erdoğan as a “dictator” and made jokes about religion during the performance. Göktaş denied the accusations, saying his remarks were satire and that he had no intention of insulting anyone.
