Turkey widens raids on LGBTQ+, HIV support groups

Turkish authorities detained dozens of people and searched LGBTQ+ and HIV-support organisations across several cities on Sunday, broadening a government operation that officials said was intended to protect children, families and public order.

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said judicial action was being taken against 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses under the “My Family is Safe” operation. The investigations were coordinated by prosecutors in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydın and Mersin and extended across 15 provinces, with police and gendarmerie units involved.

Separate statements from prosecutors provided narrower figures for parts of the operation. Istanbul prosecutors said searches were carried out at 54 homes, workplaces and association premises across 12 provinces, targeting 38 suspects. They said 26 people were detained, while drugs, digital material, smuggled alcohol and a firearm were among items seized.

Ankara prosecutors said 26 people were sought in an investigation involving Kaos GL, one of Turkey’s best-known LGBTQ+ rights organisations, over allegations that material deemed obscene had been accessible to children through its website and social-media accounts. Authorities said 21 suspects had been detained and efforts were continuing to locate five others.

Kaos GL said members of its management and supervisory boards were taken into custody during home raids and its Ankara office was searched. The organisation said the wider operation had resulted in at least 50 activists being detained, a figure higher than the totals publicly detailed by individual prosecutors at that stage.

Police action began around 1 a. m. and included searches of association offices, homes and entertainment venues in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydın and Mersin. Rights groups said organisations working on HIV awareness and support were also affected, alongside groups providing legal, social and advocacy services to LGBTQ+ people.

Authorities also blocked access to numerous websites and social-media accounts linked to LGBTQ+ associations and activists. A court order issued on Saturday covered organisations including Kaos GL, SPoD, Lambdaistanbul, Pembe Hayat, 17 Mayıs Association and other civil-society groups.

The access restrictions preceded the raids by hours. An Istanbul court acted on a prosecutor’s request dated September 12, ordering blocks on dozens of accounts and pages connected with LGBTQ+ organisations, activists and rights advocates. The measures affected both advocacy networks and groups offering support and information services.

Gürlek said the investigations followed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 2026-2035 “Decade of Family and Population” programme and a presidential circular issued this year. He said authorities had obtained evidence concerning the alleged direction of minors on questions of sexual orientation and gender identity, paid social-companionship services and unlawful activity at entertainment businesses.

Prosecutors have cited possible offences including obscenity, prostitution and breaches of association law. The allegations remain subject to investigation, and no final court findings against the organisations or detainees had been announced by Monday morning.

Rights organisations rejected the government’s framing and said the operation represented a broad assault on freedom of association, expression and access to support services. Turkey’s Human Rights Association criticised the raids, while LGBTQ+ groups said restrictions on their websites and offices could disrupt counselling, legal assistance and community support.

European criticism also followed the operation. Nacho Sánchez Amor, the European Parliament’s standing rapporteur on Turkey, described the raids as a serious attack on fundamental rights. The criticism added to scrutiny of Ankara’s treatment of civil society, though Turkish authorities have maintained that the investigations concern alleged criminal conduct rather than lawful advocacy or identity.

The action follows a tightening of restrictions on LGBTQ+ visibility under Erdoğan’s government. Pride marches in Istanbul have routinely been prohibited, and police have repeatedly detained participants attempting to assemble. Government officials have increasingly presented policies on sexuality and gender through the language of family protection and demographic policy.

Homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey, but there is no comprehensive national law prohibiting discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. Civil-society organisations have documented barriers affecting employment, housing, healthcare and public assembly.