Key facts
- Turkish authorities detained 26 people in raids targeting LGBTQ+ groups.
- Prosecutors alleged prostitution and obscenity as grounds for the raids.
- Authorities seized drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol, and a firearm.
- Kaos GL reported a higher figure of at least 50 activists detained.
- Access to dozens of websites and social media accounts linked to LGBTI+ organizations was blocked.
- The government initiative is called "My Family is Safe".
Turkish authorities detained 26 people and searched the offices of six LGBTQ+ associations in a series of raids, following allegations of prostitution and obscenity, according to prosecutors. The crackdown is part of a government campaign described as aimed at protecting family values.
The Istanbul chief prosecutor's office stated that operations were conducted across 12 provinces against 38 suspects over the weekend, during which authorities seized drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol, and a firearm. The Ankara-based LGBTQ+ association Kaos GL reported a higher figure, stating that at least 50 activists were detained, including more than 10 who were taken in police raids on their homes. Kaos GL also noted that authorities blocked access to dozens of websites and social media accounts linked to LGBTI+ organizations, activists, and rights advocates.
The government's initiative, dubbed "My Family is Safe," coincides with President Tayyip Erdogan's promotion of a "Decade of Family and Population" initiative aimed at addressing falling birth rates and an aging demographic. Rights groups have accused the Turkish government of increasingly targeting the LGBTQ+ community in recent years through a hardening of rhetoric and restrictions. The Turkish Human Rights Association commented on X that the operation's "real name" was "state-led discrimination, politics of fear and the dismantling of civil society."
The prosecutor's office indicated that evidence suggested children and underage youths were being inappropriately influenced regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek stated that investigations coordinated by prosecutors in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydin, and Mersin involved judicial proceedings against 162 suspects, nine associations, and 13 businesses across 15 provinces.