13-09-2026
Turkish police have detained at least 47 people in coordinated raids across 12 provinces targeting gay bars, LGBTQ+ activists and the association Kaos GL. The raids took place over the weekend as part of a government campaign called “My Family is Safe,” which officials describe as an effort to protect family values and which Justice Minister Akin Gurlek linked to the wider “Decade of the Family” initiative.
The Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said 26 people were detained and that police seized drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a firearm. Separately, Ankara prosecutors reported 21 detentions connected to an investigation into Kaos GL. The organisation said the total was 50 activists, including more than 10 detained during raids on their homes. It also alleged that authorities had blocked websites and social media accounts belonging to LGBTQ+ organisations.
Kaos GL said officials accused it of publishing “obscene” online material accessible to children and sought the closure of its account on X, along with the accounts of around 15 other LGBTQ+ organisations. The association was among the targets of the police operation.
Same-sex relations are legal in Turkey, but same-sex marriage is not recognised, and LGBTQ+ people face widespread homophobia and increasing political pressure. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has previously described LGBTQ+ people as “perverts” and blamed them for the country’s declining birth rate.
Gurlek said legal proceedings had begun against more than 160 people, organisations and companies under the campaign. Turkish human rights groups, however, accused the government of using the initiative to intimidate LGBTQ+ people and dismantle civil society. The Turkish Human Rights Association called the operation “state-led discrimination” and “politics of fear.”
Entities: Turkey, Istanbul, Ankara, Turkish police, LGBTQ+ community • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
13-09-2026
Turkish police arrested at least 162 people and searched six LGBTQ+ association offices during coordinated weekend raids conducted across 15 provinces. The operation, which involved prosecutors in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydin and Mersin, also targeted gay bars, nightclubs and a hammam that authorities alleged was being used for prostitution. Officials said they seized drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a gun, while launching judicial proceedings against 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said the investigations were prompted by allegations of prostitution and obscenity. He framed the raids as part of the government's constitutional responsibility to protect families and children, arguing that criminal organizations, abuse networks and illegal activities targeting minors would not be tolerated. The Istanbul prosecutor's office also alleged that children and minors were being inappropriately influenced on matters related to sexual orientation and gender identity.
LGBTQ+ rights organization Kaos GL disputed the government's justification and accused authorities of unfairly targeting the LGBTQ+ community. The group said access to dozens of websites and social-media accounts belonging to LGBTQ+ organizations and advocates had also been restricted. Same-sex relationships are legal in Turkey, but the community faces widespread homophobia and increasing repression under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The operation, named “My Family is Safe,” forms part of Erdogan's “Decade of Family and Population” campaign, which seeks to reverse Turkey's declining birthrate. The article argues that blaming LGBTQ+ people diverts attention from more complex structural causes, including inflation, high housing costs, inadequate childcare, family-unfriendly workplaces, and changing education and employment patterns among women. Turkey's total fertility rate fell from 2.11 in 2013 to 1.51 in 2023, according to TurkStat.
Entities: Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Akin Gurlek, Kaos GL, LGBTQ+ rights and repression • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
13-09-2026
Turkish authorities conducted coordinated raids early Sunday against LGBTQ+ rights organizations, HIV-awareness groups, businesses and individuals in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydin and Mersin. Dozens of people were detained, association offices were entered, popular gathering places were raided and the organizations’ websites were blocked. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said an investigation involved 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses. He justified the operation as an effort to protect children, families and public order, citing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decade-long executive order concerning families and children. Gurlek also alleged that some of the associations received substantial international funding.
The Human Rights Association strongly condemned the operation, describing it as a political campaign intended to impose a single, conservative family model and eliminate LGBTQ+ and independent civil-society groups. It argued that charges involving alleged criminal organizations, drugs, prostitution and obscenity were being used to stigmatize the broader LGBTQ+ community rather than establish wrongdoing.
The raids represent an escalation of Turkey’s longstanding hostility toward LGBTQ+ groups, particularly around elections. The governing religiously conservative Justice and Development Party has increasingly criticized LGBTQ+ organizations to appeal to conservative supporters. Istanbul Pride was banned in 2015 after years of large-scale attendance, and subsequent attempts to hold Pride events have been forcibly dispersed. The article also notes that an LGBTQ+ cruise ship previously permitted to dock in Turkey was refused permission this summer. It places the current crackdown within Turkey’s broader political and social conflict over LGBTQ+ rights, family policy and the space available to independent civil society.
Entities: Turkey, Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydin • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
13-09-2026
Turkish authorities have detained at least 47 people in coordinated raids targeting LGBTQ+ associations and activists, according to prosecutors. The operations, conducted over the weekend in multiple provinces, are part of investigations into alleged prostitution and obscenity. Istanbul prosecutors said raids across 12 provinces targeted 38 suspects, with 26 people detained and drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a firearm seized. Separately, Ankara prosecutors said 21 people were detained in an investigation involving the LGBTQ+ organisation Kaos GL, while five others remained wanted.
Kaos GL said the number of detained activists was at least 50, including more than 10 people arrested during police raids at their homes. The organisation also reported that access had been blocked to dozens of websites and social media accounts connected to LGBTQ+ groups, activists and rights advocates.
The crackdown, referred to by the government as “My Family is Safe,” coincides with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s promotion of a “Decade of Family and Population” initiative intended to address Turkey’s declining birth rate and ageing population. Rights groups say the government has increasingly targeted LGBTQ+ people through hostile rhetoric and restrictions, describing the raids as part of a broader assault on civil society.
The Turkish Human Rights Association called the operation “state-led discrimination” and “politics of fear.” Nacho Sánchez Amor, the European Parliament’s Turkey rapporteur, described the arrests as “a shocking escalation” and said imposing a moral agenda violated fundamental rights and Turkey’s international commitments.
Prosecutors said they had evidence that children and underage youths were being improperly influenced on matters concerning sexual orientation and gender identity. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said investigations in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydin and Mersin involved judicial proceedings against 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses across 15 provinces.
Entities: Turkey, Istanbul, Ankara, LGBTQ+ associations and activists, Kaos GL • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
