Daijiworld Media Network - Istanbul
Istanbul, Sep 14: Turkish authorities have detained dozens of people in nationwide raids targeting LGBTQ organisations, activists and venues, in one of the country's most extensive crackdowns on the community in recent years.
Police conducted raids on gay bars, association offices and activists' homes in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Mersin and other provinces on Sunday. Anadolu, citing prosecutors in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir, reported that at least 63 people had been detained.
However, detention figures varied as separate investigations were conducted by different prosecutor's offices. Reuters reported that at least 47 people had been detained, including 26 in an operation covering 12 provinces and another 21 in an investigation involving LGBTQ organisation Kaos GL.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said prosecutors were investigating 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses across 15 provinces as part of an operation named "My Family is Safe." He said the investigation was aimed at protecting children, the institution of the family and public order.
Gurlek linked the operation to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 10-year "Decade of Family and Population" initiative, which seeks to address Turkey's declining birth rate and demographic concerns.
"As per the duty to protect families and children given to the state by the constitution, no criminal organization, abuse network or illegal activity which targets children, youths or families will be tolerated!" Gurlek said in a post on X.
Turkish authorities targeted current and former members of several LGBTQ rights and HIV awareness organisations. Websites and social media accounts linked to LGBTQ groups and activists had also been blocked before the raids.
Kaos GL, one of the country's prominent LGBTQ rights organisations, said nearly 50 rights defenders had either been taken into custody or were facing legal proceedings involving interrogation or detention. Its offices were searched during the operation.
Authorities in Ankara accused Kaos GL of publishing online material containing "obscenity" that was allegedly accessible to children, according to the organisation.
Prosecutors also said the investigations involved allegations including prostitution and obscenity. Reuters reported that authorities seized drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a firearm during some of the raids.
Rights organisations strongly condemned the crackdown. The Turkish Human Rights Association described the operation as "state-led discrimination, politics of fear and the dismantling of civil society."
European Parliament's rapporteur on Turkey, Nacho Sanchez Amor, called the detentions "a shocking escalation" in repression and said the government's actions represented a violation of fundamental rights and Turkey's international commitments.
The crackdown comes amid years of increasing restrictions on LGBTQ activities in Turkey. Istanbul Pride was banned in 2015, and subsequent attempts to hold Pride gatherings have been dispersed by authorities.
The latest raids have drawn particular concern because they targeted not only LGBTQ rights organisations but also groups involved in HIV awareness and support, potentially disrupting their community and public-health work.