Turkey Detains Dozens in Nationwide Raids on LGBTQ+ Bars and Activist Homes

Police in Turkey have detained 47 people during raids on gay bars and the homes of LGBTQ+ activists, officials say.

Raids took place across 12 provinces over the weekend as part of a government campaign dubbed “My Family is Safe,” which authorities describe as protecting family values.

One target of the operation was LGBTQ+ organization Kaos GL.

Same-sex marriage is not recognized in Turkey, and human rights groups have accused the government of using the campaign to target the LGBTQ+ community amid growing pressure on gay couples.

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

In a separate statement, the Ankara chief prosecutor’s office said another 21 people were detained as part of an investigation into Kaos GL.

The organization stated that 50 activists were detained in total, with more than 10 taken after police raids on their homes.

Authorities also blocked several websites and social media accounts linked to LGBTQ+ organizations, according to the group.

Kaos GL reported that authorities accused it of publishing “obscenity” in online posts accessible to children and demanded the shutdown of its X account, along with accounts belonging to around 15 other LGBTQ+ organizations.

Same-sex relations are not an offence in Turkey, but homophobia remains widespread. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described LGBTQ+ people as “perverts” responsible for falling birth rates.

As part of “My Family is Safe,” Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said legal proceedings have been started against more than 160 people and several organizations and companies across the country.

Gurlek did not specify how many people had been taken into custody but stated the raids occurred in the context of the “Decade of the Family” campaign.

The Turkish Human Rights Association contends that the government has been using the campaign to target the LGBTQ+ community in recent years.

“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,” the organization said on X.

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