Turkey launches widest LGBTQ+ crackdown

Turkish police raided LGBTQ+ rights offices and homes across five cities starting Sunday, arresting over 150 people during protests against the sweeps.

“This is the widest crackdown on LGBTQ+ people in recent years.”

Obscenity charges mask targeting

Prosecutors accused LGBTQ+ groups of violating obscenity laws, though homosexuality itself is legal in Turkey. Formal charges remain unclear.

Journalists arrested for coverage

Tuğba Tekerek, a journalist, was arrested at her Istanbul home and taken to Ankara for questioning after publishing a piece on Georgia's LGBTQ+ community with Kaos GL.

Protests met with teargas

Hundreds of demonstrators were teargassed in Izmir, while at least 150 were detained in Istanbul and dozens more in Ankara after protesting the raids.

“Being LGBTQ+ is not a crime”

Government frames crackdown as family protection

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek called the operation 'My Family is Safe' and claimed it protects children and family values, linking it to President Erdoğan's 'decade of the family' initiative.

“protect our children, the institution of the family and the social order”

Rights groups question the logic

Human Rights Watch noted Turkey has high rates of domestic violence and child abuse, questioning how arresting LGBTQ+ activists protects families.

“the protection of the family cannot be focused on LGBT people”

Pattern of using vague laws

Eleven leaders of Youth LGBTQ+ went on trial last month for publishing images of same-sex couples kissing, charged under family values provisions carrying up to three years imprisonment.