Turkish Police Detain 47 People in Raids on Gay Bars and LGBTQ+ Activists' Homes

Turkish police detained 47 people in raids on gay bars and the homes of LGBTQ+ activists, with raids taking place in 12 provinces over the weekend as part of the campaign dubbed "My Family is Safe."

“Police in Turkey have detained 47 people in a series of raids on gay bars and the homes of LGBTQ+ activists”

BBC

The Istanbul chief prosecutor's office said officers detained 26 people and seized drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a firearm during the raids.

ABC News

In a separate statement, the Ankara chief prosecutor's office said another 21 people had been detained as part of an investigation into Kaos GL, and the organisation said 50 activists had been detained.

Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said legal proceedings had been started against more than 160 people and a number of organisations and companies across the country as part of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s "Decade of the Family" campaign.

The Turkish Human Rights Association said on X, "The real name of this operation is not 'My Family is Safe'; it is state-led discrimination, politics of fear and the dismantling of civil society," as the crackdown expanded across provinces including Istanbul and Ankara.

The investigation in Ankara centers on the Kaos GL Association, described as the country's longest-standing LGBTI+ advocacy group that also runs a news outlet focusing on the community's issues.

Bianet reported that police raided the homes of members and executives of the association and detained more than 10 people, while searching the group's office.

BBC

Bianet also said access to websites and social media accounts belonging to numerous LGBTI+ groups and activists was blocked, and that the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating Kaos GL on allegations of "obscenity" and "violations of the Associations Law."

The BBC said authorities have accused Kaos GL of making "obscenity" in online posts that are available to children and had demanded the shutting down of the Kaos GL X account, as well as those of around 15 other LGBTQ+ organisations.

DW reported that Kaos GL claimed that beyond arrests, the government had also cut access to dozens of websites and social media accounts belonging to associate groups and rights advocates.

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said the raids were designed to protect family values and that legal proceedings have been opened against 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 companies in a total of 15 provinces.

“"protecting our children, the family institution, and social order"”

Caracol Radio

Caracol Radio quoted Gurlek saying the operations were part of the "Decade of the Family" proclaimed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with the aim of "protecting our children, the family institution, and social order."

DW said the weekend raids were coordinated by prosecutors in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydin and Mersin and involved judicial proceedings against 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses across 15 provinces.

The BBC reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described LGBTQ people as "perverts" responsible for the falling birth rate, while Human rights groups accused the government of using the campaign to target the LGBTQ+ community.

In response to the crackdown, Cyprus Mail reported that Istanbul MP Ozgul Sakı of the left wing pro-Kurdish DEM party wrote on X, "existence cannot be banned or prevented" and added that "LGBTQ+ rights are human rights."