26/06/2026 | Writer: Kaos GL
Kaos GL Editor-in-Chief Yıldız Tar, who was detained in the operation carried out in Ankara ahead of the NATO Summit and later remanded in custody, was questioned by police about sharing an interview titled "Not the Year of the Family, but the Year of Struggle."
Details of Tar's police statement have become available following their detention and subsequent arrest as part of the operation conducted before the NATO Summit.
During the interrogation, Tar was asked whether they had any links to the TKP/ML. The statement record also included questions about why they had shared an interview criticizing President and AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's declaration of 2025 as the "Year of the Family."
The police asked Tar the following question:
"Please explain why you shared/made statements regarding the interview titled 'Not the Year of the Family, but the Year of Struggle,' organized in opposition to the declaration by our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on 13 January 2025 proclaiming 2025 as the Year of the Family."
In their statement, Tar emphasized that Kaos GL is a legally registered association and media outlet under the Ministry of Interior.
"I have published various news reports, interviews, discussions and articles concerning the Year of the Family. All of these are part of my work as a journalist and fall within the scope of freedom of expression," Tar said.
Tar also stressed that none of their reporting or writing could be considered propaganda for a terrorist organization:
"As a journalist, let alone promoting terrorism, it is impossible for me to praise or encourage any act of violence. I work as a journalist and writer to defend the fundamental rights and freedoms of the LGBTI+ community, of which I am a member, and to challenge prejudice against this community. In my statements, I exercised my freedom of expression in a critical manner."
What happened?
On the morning of 23 June, ahead of the NATO Summit scheduled for 7–8 July in Ankara, simultaneous raids were carried out at numerous addresses across the city. According to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, detention warrants were issued for 241 people, and 209 were taken into custody.
Those detained included Yıldız Tar, Associate Professor Emel Memiş from Ankara University's Faculty of Political Sciences, Umut-Sen spokesperson Burcu Arıkan, Halkevleri Executive Board member Hediye Yıldırım, as well as numerous lawyers, academics, trade unionists, students, human rights defenders and LGBTI+ activists.
After completing police and prosecutorial procedures, Tar was referred to the Ankara Courthouse and brought before the Criminal Judgeship of Peace, which ordered their pre-trial detention.
In its ruling, the court argued that there was "strong suspicion based on concrete evidence" that Tar had committed the offence of membership in an armed terrorist organization. The decision cited the suspects' statements, a social media investigation report, the prosecutor's detention request and police records in the case file. The court further held that evidence had not yet been fully collected and that, given the nature of the alleged offence, there was a risk of flight and tampering with evidence.
Tags: human rights, media, life, lgbti
