FREEDOM FOR COMRADE MILOŠ KARAVEZIĆ!
The First Secretary of the League of the Communist Youth of Yugoslavia SKOJ (the youth organisation of the New Communist Party of Yugoslavia), comrade Miloš Karavezić, was arrested near Istanbul at approximately 3:00 a.m. on July 1 during an internal anti-NATO conference. Erdoğan’s authorities raided the camp of the World Anti-Imperialist Platform, where youth organizations were gathered. At around 8:00 a.m., they violently and unlawfully detained approximately twenty people, including members of the international delegation and Turkish youth activists, among them the First Secretary of SKOJ, Comrade Miloš Karavezić.
All those detained are currently being held at the police station in Çanakkale, where they face accusations of alleged terrorist activities.
Comrade Miloš Karavezić and the other conference participants were arrested while taking part in theoretical and academic activities, seminars, and other forms of international solidarity. The event was of an internal nature and was held in a remote area, approximately seven hours’ drive from Istanbul and six hours from Ankara.
On the eve of the NATO Summit, Erdoğan’s government has turned Türkiye into a country where fundamental democratic rights and freedoms are being systematically suppressed. Since June of this year, using the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor in Ankara as a political instrument, the authorities have launched a so-called “anti-terrorism operation.” More than 500 people have been arrested so far, including members of progressive political parties, as well as labour and youth activists. This is an organized campaign of preventive arrests carried out under the pretext of protecting national security.
From midnight on June 28 until midnight on July 10, all public gatherings, demonstrations, street marches, press conferences, leaflet distribution, and the display of banners have been banned in Ankara and in the areas surrounding NATO military bases. The main access routes to the airport, the area surrounding the summit venue, and the zones where the delegations are accommodated have been placed under the complete control of the military and police. Through these measures, the authorities are creating conditions resembling a state of emergency and are gravely violating the fundamental rights and freedoms of both progressive political forces and the citizens of Türkiye as a whole.
The actions of the Turkish authorities are also contrary to the Constitution of the Republic of Türkiye, which guarantees freedom of thought and academic freedom. They are likewise in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Türkiye in 2003, which guarantees freedom of thought and freedom of expression. The arrest of the participants in this conference constitutes a serious violation of both the domestic legislation of the Republic of Türkiye and the international obligations assumed by the Turkish state.
SKOJ and New Communist Party of Yugoslavia (NKPJ) will inform Sovintern, the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY), the international communist movement, the World Anti-Imperialist Platform, as well as other progressive organizations and individuals around the world, in order to build international pressure for the immediate release of Comrade Miloš Karavezić and all other detained activists.
SKOJ will call upon progressive youth, labour, and political organizations worldwide to organize protests in front of the embassies of the Republic of Türkiye until Comrade Miloš Karavezić and all other detainees are released. At the same time, SKOJ has informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia about the arrest of its First Secretary and has requested that all appropriate measures be taken to protect his rights as a citizen of the Republic of Serbia.
Comrade Miloš Karavezić is a principled patriot, internationalist, and political activist who has never been convicted of any crime or violated the law. His detention clearly demonstrates the political nature of this repression and the character of a regime that, under the pretext of combating terrorism, criminalizes political opinion and international solidarity.
SKOJ demands that Erdoğan’s government immediately and unconditionally release Comrade Miloš Karavezić and all other conference participants. We strongly condemn the violent, unlawful, and brutal arrest of the participants during the raid on an event that was internal, peaceful, and organized in accordance with its intended purpose.
This action by the Turkish authorities once again reveals the dictatorial nature of Erdoğan’s regime, which no longer tolerates even internal political discussion and criticism of the NATO alliance. SKOJ and NKPJ will mobilize progressive forces in Serbia and around the world to secure the release of Comrade Miloš Karavezić and all other activists who are unjustly imprisoned by the Turkish authorities.
Freedom for Comrade Miloš Karavezić!
Secretariat of NKPJ
Secretariat of SKOJ
Belgrade
2 July 2026
