Forty-seven detained

Turkish police detained 47 people in weekend raids on gay bars and the homes of LGBTQ+ activists, officials say. The raids hit 12 provinces at once.

Branded as family values

The operation runs under a campaign called "My Family is Safe", which the government says exists to protect family values. It sits inside a wider "Decade of the Family" push.

Two prosecutors, two counts

Istanbul prosecutors reported 26 detained along with drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a firearm. Ankara reported 21 more, tied to an investigation into the group Kaos GL.

Kaos GL counts higher

The association says 50 activists were detained, more than 10 of them taken in raids on their homes. It also says websites and social media accounts linked to LGBTQ+ groups were blocked.

Obscenity as the charge

Authorities accused Kaos GL of posting "obscenity" reachable by children, and demanded its X account be shut down along with those of around 15 other LGBTQ+ organisations.

State-led discrimination, say critics

Same-sex relations are legal in Turkey but Erdogan has called LGBTQ people "perverts" and blamed them for the falling birth rate. Over 160 people now face proceedings under the campaign.

“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.”