Archive · 14 Sep 2026
Turkey Detains Dozens in Raids Amid LGBTQ+ Family Crackdown
Turkish police raided places connected to LGBTQ+ groups and detained many people.
The raids happened in several provinces, including Istanbul and Ankara.
Prosecutors said they were investigating allegations of prostitution and obscenity.
They also said children and teenagers may have been influenced about sexual orientation and gender identity.
Officials called the campaign “My Family is Safe” and said it protects family values.
Kaos GL said at least 50 activists were detained, including people taken from their homes.
The group also said many related websites and social-media accounts were blocked.
Rights organizations said the government was unfairly targeting LGBTQ+ people and civil society.
The campaign is connected to President Tayyip Erdogan’s “Decade of Family and Population” initiative.
Turkish authorities detained at least 47 people in raids targeting LGBTQ+ groups across several provinces.
Prosecutors said the investigations concerned alleged prostitution and obscenity, while also citing alleged influence on minors.
Authorities said proceedings involved 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses across 15 provinces.
Kaos GL said at least 50 activists were detained and that dozens of related websites and social-media accounts were blocked.
Officials described the operations as protecting family values, while rights groups called them discriminatory and repressive.
- Who
- Turkish prosecutors, police and authorities detained LGBTQ+ activists and investigated associations including Kaos GL; rights groups criticized the operations.
- What
- A series of raids and investigations targeted LGBTQ+ associations, activists, businesses and related online accounts.
- When
- The raids took place over the weekend; the Reuters report was dated September 13.
- Where
- Operations occurred across multiple Turkish provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydin and Mersin, with investigations spanning 15 provinces.
- Why
- Authorities cited alleged prostitution, obscenity and concerns about minors’ exposure to issues involving sexual orientation and gender identity; the government said the campaign protects family values.
Government and Prosecutors
Rights Groups and Critics
Reason for the operations
Government and Prosecutors
Prosecutors said the investigations concerned alleged prostitution and obscenity and cited evidence that children and underage youths were being inappropriately influenced on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Rights Groups and Critics
Rights groups said the operations represented state-led discrimination, politics of fear and the dismantling of civil society.
Family-values campaign
Government and Prosecutors
The government presented “My Family is Safe” as a campaign to protect family values, alongside the “Decade of Family and Population” initiative.
Rights Groups and Critics
Critics, including the Turkish Human Rights Association and European Parliament Turkey rapporteur Nacho Sanchez Amor, said imposing a moral agenda violated fundamental rights and represented an escalation of repression.
Scale and impact
Government and Prosecutors
Authorities described judicial proceedings involving suspects, associations and businesses across 15 provinces and reported seizures during one operation.
Rights Groups and Critics
Kaos GL said at least 50 activists were detained and that websites and social-media accounts connected to LGBTQ+ organizations and advocates were blocked.
- Campaign name
- “My Family is Safe”
- Reported investigations
- Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said proceedings involved 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses across 15 provinces.
- Detentions reported by prosecutors
- At least 47 people were detained in separate Istanbul and Ankara operations; the Istanbul operation alone detained 26 people and the Ankara investigation detained 21.
- Kaos GL account
- Kaos GL said at least 50 activists were detained, including more than 10 people taken from their homes.
- Items seized
- Authorities said they seized drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a firearm in the Istanbul operation.
- Online restrictions
- Kaos GL said access was blocked to dozens of websites and social-media accounts linked to LGBTQ+ organizations, activists and rights advocates.
- Government context
- The crackdown coincided with President Tayyip Erdogan’s “Decade of Family and Population” initiative, which addresses falling birth rates and an ageing demographic.
