Turkish authorities have raided LGBTQ+ rights organisations and HIV-advocacy groups in five Turkish cities, detaining more than 100 people in a crackdown conducted under accusations of obscenity. Rights groups say at least 62 people were held on remand, while journalists were also targeted.
The raids began early Sunday and triggered protests in which Turkish authorities used teargas in İzmir and detained at least 150 demonstrators in Istanbul, along with dozens more in Ankara.
What happened in the raids
Video released by Turkey’s interior ministry showed police searching filing cabinets, taking rainbow flags and leading people away in handcuffs. Authorities also raided nightclubs and activists’ homes.
The Media and Law Studies Association said seven executive-board members of Kaos GL, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group that also operates a news site, were among those arrested. Journalist Tuğba Tekerek was arrested at her home in Istanbul and taken to Ankara for questioning after publishing an article with Kaos GL about the LGBTQ+ community in Georgia. Read the context: Gaza teams recover remains of 55 from Malka family home.
What we know now
- Police operations took place in Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Aydın and Mersin.
- Prosecutors in Istanbul said digital equipment, drugs and a firearm were seized.
- Formal charges against the LGBTQ+ groups remain opaque.
- The justice minister called the operation “My Family is Safe” and said it was intended to protect children, families and social order.
Why authorities say the arrests were made
Justice minister Akın Gürlek said the nationwide operation targeted venues authorities associated with prostitution, the distribution of obscene material and activities exposing children to such content. Prosecutors in Ankara have accused LGBTQ+ rights groups of violating obscenity laws and rules governing non-governmental organisations.
Homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey, but authorities have increasingly used broad obscenity accusations against LGBTQ+ people and groups. A proposed penal-code amendment that would have prosecuted LGBTQ+ people for promoting conduct deemed contrary to biological sex and general morality was withdrawn last year.
The wider pressure on LGBTQ+ groups
The crackdown follows the trial of 11 leaders of the Genç LGBTI+ organisation, who are accused of violating constitutional provisions on family values and publishing images of same-sex couples kissing. The charges carry up to three years’ imprisonment. Related coverage: In Gaza, one cooked meal must feed a family of seven.
Gürlek linked the operation to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s declaration of a “decade of the family and population”, which aims to boost birthrates. Human Rights Watch said the arrests appeared to criminalise LGBTQ+ advocacy, while rights groups questioned how targeting activists and demonstrators protects families.
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