Turkey Conducts Nationwide Raids and Social Media Blocks Targeting LGBTQ+ Community

Turkish authorities have launched a wide scale crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community as part of an operation titled My Family is Safe. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek stated that legal proceedings have been initiated against 162 suspects, nine organizations, and 13 companies across 15 provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. The government says the operation is intended to protect children, the institution of the family, and social order, aligning with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Decade of the Family and Population aimed at addressing falling birth rates.

Law enforcement raided gay bars, nightclubs, and the offices of LGBTQ+ associations, including Kaos GL. In Izmir, a court ordered the detention of 16 people pending trial. Reports indicate that at least 63 people were detained overall, though Kaos GL stated that nearly 50 rights defenders were taken into custody or are facing legal proceedings. Prosecutors have alleged that some targets engaged in prostitution, obscenity, and the inappropriate influence of minors regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.

Concurrent with the raids, the Turkish government blocked access to the websites and social media accounts of various LGBTQ+ associations and independent media outlets, including the X account of Amnesty International's Turkey branch. In Izmir, police used pepper spray to disperse a group of approximately 200 protesters who gathered to oppose the operations.

International and domestic critics have condemned the actions. Nacho Sanchez Amor, the European Parliament rapporteur on Turkey, described the arrests as a shocking escalation in repression. The Turkish Human Rights Association characterized the operation as state led discrimination and the dismantling of civil society. While same sex relations are not a criminal offense in Turkey, rights groups argue the government is increasingly using legal measures and rhetoric to target the community.