The NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, insisted this Monday that democracy is "much more than just free elections" and focused on the relevance of freedom of the press and the right to protest. His words come after Turkish authorities arrested around a hundred people during a demonstration against the Atlantic Alliance in Ankara, the country's capital.
Rutte responded this way when questioned about whether the NATO summit, which brings together the heads of state and government of the 32 allied countries on July 7 and 8, could be overshadowed by the detentions in Ankara, especially since it is an organization that presents itself as an alliance of liberal democracies.
"When it comes to democracy, democracy is more than elections. Of course, they are crucial in democracy, but democracy is also a free press, you in this room, who can ask all the questions you want and write the news you want and do your research. And, of course, democracy is also that people can organize demonstrations if they wish," said the Dutch leader.
The Secretary General stressed that it is essential for NATO that the media can be "in person at major events" such as the leaders' summit taking place this week in Ankara.
The words of the Alliance's top official come after Turkish security forces arrested more than a hundred people during an anti-NATO protest march in the capital. The demonstration, promoted by the Turkish Communist Party (TKP), was dispersed by the Police with tear gas and charges, which caused at least seven injuries with fractures and contusions, according to figures provided by the TKP itself.
To these arrests are added those of another 40 people accused of "terrorism", including journalists, university professors, and militants of left-wing organizations, in an operation partly directed against the Revolutionary Path (DEV YOL) group, heir to the historic People's Front Party of Liberation of Turkey (THKP-C), founded in the 1970s and classified as a terrorist organization by Ankara.
The Turkish Journalists' Association (TGC) and the Progressive Lawyers Association (CHD) have demanded the release of those arrested and have described what happened as an attack on freedom of expression and a form of intimidation in the run-up to the NATO summit.