Turkish Crackdown Targets LGBT Groups: Dozens Detained, Websites Blocked in Nationwide Operation

A coordinated Turkish operation targeting LGBT rights groups expanded this week beyond police raids into court-ordered detentions, website and social media blocking orders, and a nationwide directive to prosecutors, according to Human Rights Watch and official statements.

Human Rights Watch said on Sept. 18 that police carried out raids from Sept. 12 to 14 against seven LGBT rights groups, two organizations supporting people living with HIV, and bars and nightclubs in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydın and Mersin. The group said at least 112 people were arrested and 82 remained detained under court order as of Thursday. It said at least 24 of those detained were LGBT activists, founders or executives of targeted groups, and one was a journalist.

The scope of the measures suggests more than a series of local arrests. The operation spans multiple cities, reaches leaders of prominent civil society groups and a reporter, and has been accompanied by court secrecy orders and efforts to block online content. On Sept. 14, the Justice Ministry sent a circular to chief prosecutors nationwide directing them to investigate what it described as threats to family, young people and society, quickly secure digital evidence and seek the blocking or removal of online material. Human Rights Watch and Turkish press reports said the circular instructed prosecutors to investigate “activities encouraging the erasure of gender distinctions in children and young people,” and said cases could be pursued under organized-crime or financial-crime frameworks where authorities deemed that appropriate.

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said legal proceedings had been initiated against 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses across 15 provinces in an operation called “Ailem Güvende,” or “My Family Is Safe.” That official count is separate from Human Rights Watch’s arrest and detention figures. Authorities have said the investigations involve alleged offenses including “obscenity,” sex work-related offenses, drug-related offenses, violations of the Associations Law, and in some cases allegations tied to organized crime or foreign funding. Gürlek said the operation was part of protecting children, young people and families, in line with the government’s broader family-policy agenda.

In Ankara, Human Rights Watch said police detained about 14 officials from the executive and supervisory boards of Kaos GL, one of Türkiye’s leading LGBT rights groups. A court ordered seven Kaos GL board members detained and seven released under judicial control, the group said. Human Rights Watch said evidence cited in that case included social media posts and two photos of men kissing.

A court also ordered the detention of journalist Tuğba Tekerek, according to Human Rights Watch and press reports. Prosecutors cited a 2024 article she wrote that was published on Kaos GL’s news portal, they said.

In Istanbul, a court on Sept. 16 ordered the detention of nine executives, founders and members of Lambda Istanbul, Hevi LGBTİ, SPoD and Pozitif-İz on allegations tied to violations of the Associations Law, Human Rights Watch said. The rights group said it had seen a restriction order on at least one Istanbul investigation file, meaning evidence and case materials were not publicly accessible to the public.

The crackdown has also extended online. According to Human Rights Watch, citing the Freedom of Expression Association, courts issued orders between Sept. 12 and 16 blocking dozens of websites and social media accounts belonging to LGBT groups, activists and other rights organizations. Human Rights Watch said blocked X accounts included those of Amnesty International Türkiye, Evrensel, the Media and Law Studies Association and Hak İnisiyatifi.

On Sept. 15, police arrested more than 100 people who had gathered outside Istanbul’s Çağlayan courthouse to protest the detentions, Human Rights Watch said. The group said they were held for more than 24 hours and then released.

The operation comes months after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a decree in May declaring 2026 to 2035 the “Family and Population Decade.” The Justice Ministry has explicitly linked the current operation to that policy drive. Human Rights Watch said Turkish officials have increasingly used the language of “family values” in recent years to justify discrimination against LGBT people.

The rights group also disputed suggestions that foreign funding itself was evidence of wrongdoing. Foreign funding for associations is legal in Türkiye if it is disclosed to authorities, and Human Rights Watch said there was no evidence the targeted groups had failed to comply with that requirement.

“This crackdown is a blatant attempt to criminalize and marginalize LGBT people and silence the groups that stand up for their rights,” said Benjamin Ward, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The Turkish government should immediately release LGBT activists and others arrested without credible evidence of criminal wrongdoing and end its campaign against LGBT groups.”