Yıldız Tar, editor-in-chief for the LGBTQ+ news website Kaos GL, was among hundreds of people who were detained in sweeping police operations on June 23, 2026, ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara in July. The journalist was arrested by an Ankara court on June 25 on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization. Tar was released pending investigation on July 22. He had not yet been prosecuted as of August 2026.
CPJ inspected the documents regarding Tar’s interrogation and arrest. Turkish authorities accused the journalist of being a member of the outlawed group Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist-Leninist (TKP/ML) without offering any proof. Tar was also asked about the anti-LGBTQ+ “Year of the Family” campaign, launched by the Turkish government and which he has previously criticised. Tar told CPJ in August 2026 that the authorities seemed unsure about their line of questioning, and he suspected the questions they asked were written by artificial intelligence.
CPJ emailed Turkey’s Justice Ministry for comment in August 2026 but did not receive a reply.