Turkish authorities have conducted a series of raids and arrests targeting LGBTQ+ activists, journalists, and associated organizations, citing accusations of obscenity and the protection of family values. The operations began in the early hours of Sunday and involved simultaneous police actions in multiple cities, including Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Aydın, and Mersin.
The raids targeted offices of LGBTQ+ rights organizations and HIV-advocacy groups, as well as nightclubs and private residences of activists. Video footage released by the Turkish interior ministry showed police searching offices, confiscating rainbow flags, and detaining individuals. Prosecutors in Istanbul reported seizing digital devices, drugs, and a firearm during the sweeps.
Human rights observers estimate that over 100 people have been detained, with at least 62 held on remand. Among those detained are members of the executive board of Kaos GL, one of Turkey’s oldest LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, which also operates a news outlet. A journalist, Tuğba Tekerek, was arrested at her Istanbul home and taken to Ankara for questioning after publishing an article about the LGBTQ+ community in Georgia.
While homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey, prosecutors in Ankara have accused LGBTQ+ organizations of violating laws against “obscenity” and certain regulations governing non-governmental organizations. However, formal charges against many detainees remain unclear. The government’s justification for the crackdown is linked to an operation named “My Family is Safe,” which authorities say aims to protect children, uphold family institutions, and maintain social order. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek stated that targets included venues allegedly connected to prostitution, distribution of obscene materials, and activities exposing children to such content.
The campaign is tied to a directive issued by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announcing what he described as “a decade of the family and population,” designed to address concerns about declining birth rates. Gürlek cited weakening family ties, rising marriage ages, and increasing divorce rates as part of the rationale behind intensified enforcement measures.
The raids and subsequent arrests have prompted protests in several cities. Officials used tear gas against demonstrators in İzmir and detained at least 150 protesters in Istanbul, along with additional arrests in Ankara. Protesters have voicing slogans such as “Being LGBTQ+ is not a crime” during rallies near courthouses where some detainees were held.
Critics, including rights groups, argue that the government’s approach conflates LGBTQ+ advocacy with criminal activity and undermines efforts to protect vulnerable populations. Human Rights Watch’s Emma Sinclair-Webb described the crackdown as the most extensive in recent years and expressed concern that authorities are using charges like drug and prostitution offenses to broaden detention beyond activists. She and others have pointed to Turkey’s ongoing issues with domestic violence and child abuse, questioning the logic of targeting LGBTQ+ individuals as part of family protection policies.
In recent years, Turkish authorities had proposed legislation to criminalize promoting behaviors deemed “contrary to biological sex and general morality,” but this draft was withdrawn. Instead, the government has increasingly pursued prosecutions under broad obscenity laws. Last month, leaders of the Genç LGBTI+ youth organization went on trial accused of violating constitutional family provisions by publishing images of same-sex couples, facing potential prison sentences of up to three years.