Turkish authorities conducted large-scale police operations against LGBTQ+ organizations, leading to arrests and social media blocks.
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Turkish authorities conducted large-scale police operations against LGBTQ+ organizations over the weekend, based on reports from Austrian media citing Turkish state news agencies. Investigations were initiated into activities such as association establishment for illegal purposes, prostitution, immorality, and drug possession, targeting groups like “Kaos GL,” which defends LGBTQ+ rights. Authorities claimed evidence showed these organizations affected minors regarding their sexual orientation and gender identity, stating the operations aimed to prevent such activities from being normalized in society while protecting family institutions and moral values under the operation name “My Family is Safe.” The prosecutor stated that large sums of money were transferred to these organizations from foreign public institutions, whose origins are currently under investigation. Raids took place at 38 addresses across various locations, including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and Antalya. Furthermore, access to numerous human rights organization, journalist, and LGBTQ+ activist accounts on the “X” platform was blocked by court orders. Activists expressed solidarity with those affected by the raids, which included arrests and investigations into immorality. President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan has previously labeled the LGBTQ+ movement as “deviant currents.” Human Rights Watch noted that these detentions suggest the Turkish government is determined to criminalize LGBTQ+ individuals who do not accept new laws. Austrian Green Party representatives strongly condemned the actions, with one stating ErdoÄŸan was deliberately instrumentalizing minorities to distract from domestic crises and mobilize conservative voters. Another representative highlighted that these operations are part of a worrying trend where the Turkish government restricts fundamental rights and narrows civil society space. European Parliament member Dainius Žalimas noted the crackdown, emphasizing that persecuting minorities does not protect families but rather safeguards dictatorship, comparing it to actions in Russia. He called for the EU to act by including these arrests in political dialogue with Turkey. The European Commission also reacted, with a representative expressing concern over the detentions and legal proceedings against activists and organizations, urging Turkey to respect human rights regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity as an EU candidate. Debates were held in the European Parliament regarding the Turkish government’s actions, and the European Commissioner stated that these actions would be assessed in the 2026 development report on Turkey.
