• Turkish police detain anti-NATO protestors in Ankara, defying security measures and protest ban.
• Opposition lawmakers demand release of detained protestors ahead of NATO summit in Turkey.
• Hundreds detained in Turkey, including journalists and academics, in lead-up to NATO summit.

Turkish police detained some participants of an anti-NATO demonstration in central Ankara on Tuesday morning, after they defied strict security measures and a blanket ban on protests during the alliance's summit, local media reported.

Police officers were seen handcuffing and dragging protestors on to a police bus near Ankara's Kurtulus Park, some seven kilometres from the summit venue, in footage from opposition daily Cumhuriyet posted on the X platform.

"NATO get out, this land belongs to us," some protestors were heard chanting in Turkish.

The small group, including opposition lawmakers, attempted to march carrying banners. Police blocked the march before detaining some demonstrators, the footage showed.

In a statement to journalists in Ankara, lawmakers from the Workers Party of Turkey (TİP) and the Labour Party (EMEP) demanded the release of all those who had participated in the anti-NATO protests.

The latest detentions came in addition to the hundreds detained across Turkey in the lead-up to the NATO summit taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday. They include journalists, academics and members of left-wing groups.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed the importance of the right to demonstrate ahead of the summit, when pressed by a journalist on Turkey's restrictive measures.