TURKEY DETAINS DOZENS IN CRACKDOWN TARGETING LGBTQ COMMUNITY

Turkish authorities have detained at least 63 people following coordinated raids on gay bars, a nightclub and the homes and offices of LGBTQ activists across 15 provinces. The operations were carried out by police and gendarmerie forces under what officials described as the “My Family is Safe” campaign, with many of the raids concentrated in Istanbul and Ankara. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said legal proceedings had been initiated against 162 suspects, nine organisations and 13 companies as part of the wider operation.

Gurlek said the crackdown was linked to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “Decade of the Family” initiative, which the government says is aimed at protecting children, the family institution and social order. In Istanbul, authorities raided several gay bars and a nightclub known as a gathering place for members of the LGBTQ community, while a men’s hammam reportedly associated with prostitution was also targeted. The raids came amid increasing government pressure on LGBTQ groups and activists in the country.

The LGBTQ rights organisation Kaos GL said its offices were searched and some of its leaders were taken into custody. The group had earlier reported that nearly 50 LGBTQ rights defenders across Turkey had either been detained or placed under legal proceedings involving questioning and detention. Prosecutors in Ankara reportedly accused Kaos GL of publishing material containing “obscenity” on its website and social media platforms, arguing that the content was accessible to children.

The latest arrests followed another action against LGBTQ organisations, with the accounts of more than a dozen Turkish groups blocked on X at the request of authorities, according to a watchdog. Same-sex relations are not criminalised in Turkey, but LGBTQ people and organisations have faced growing pressure, while activists say the government’s policies have contributed to an increasingly hostile environment for the community.

The crackdown has drawn criticism from human rights and political figures, including the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey, Nacho Sanchez Amor, who described the arrests as a serious escalation in repression. He accused the Turkish authorities of imposing a moral agenda that violates fundamental rights and the country’s international commitments. DEM Party lawmaker Ozgul Saki also condemned the arrests, insisting that LGBTQ rights are human rights.