Turkey arrests dozens in ongoing crackdown on LGBTQI+ groups

At least 31 people were arrested pending trial on Tuesday as part of the operation. They included five transgender women in Ankara and 26 people in the southern province of Mersin.

Police also detained at least 126 people protesting against the crackdown in Istanbul and Ankara. Outside Istanbul's Caglayan courthouse, officers surrounded demonstrators who were trying to make a statement demanding the release of gay rights activists.

Protesters carried banners reading “Being LGBTQI+ and organising is not a crime” before police intervened.

“We are going through a period where there is an attempt by the ruling power to portray LGBT+ people as the cause of every problem in this society,” protester Banu Aslan, 36, told the Associated Press.

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Raids across Turkey

The protests followed raids on Sunday targeting LGBTQI+ groups and individuals across several Turkish provinces. Authorities detained dozens of people, raided association offices and businesses and blocked websites and social media accounts.

The operation, called “My Family is Safe”, involved 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses across 15 provinces, Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said on Sunday.

It aimed to “protect children, the institution of the family, and public order,” he added.

A court in the western province of Izmir jailed 18 people pending trial on Monday as part of the same operation.

Access has also been blocked to online accounts belonging to LGBTQI+ associations, individuals and independent media outlets, including the X account of Amnesty International's Turkey branch.

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Rights concerns

The Strasbourg, France-based Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O'Flaherty, expressed concern on Tuesday over the arrests, raids and online restrictions targeting LGBTQI+ civil society and human rights defenders.

“Mere references to 'family values' or 'protection of children' cannot serve as legal justification for human rights restrictions,” O'Flaherty said in a statement.

“I call on the Turkish authorities to release anyone detained for engaging in human rights or civil society work.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party has become increasingly vocal against LGBTQI+ groups. Istanbul Pride was banned in 2015 after attracting tens of thousands of people in previous years. Authorities have since dispersed attempted Pride gatherings.

An LGBTQI+ cruise ship that had previously called at a Turkish port was also refused permission to dock there this summer.

(with newswires)