[REVISION HISTORY]

Turkish crackdown on LGBTQ+ groups and activists

Updated 11 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-15 20:33 UTC → 2026-09-15 21:44 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Turkish authorities have launched large-scale operations targeting LGBTQ+ organizations and activists across 15 provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and Mersin. Conducted under the ‘My Family is Safe’ banner as part of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ‘Decade of the Family’ initiative, the raids aim to protect traditional family structures. Justice Minister Akin Gürlek announced judicial proceedings against 162 suspects, nine associations, and 13 businesses. Prosecutors have alleged involvement in prostitution, obscenity, and the improper influence of minors regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. ~~During raids on homes, offices, and nightlife venues, police reported seizing drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol, and firearms.~~ Investigations are also examining allegations of significant foreign funding, with records indicating six LGBTQ associations received over $3.3 million in foreign funds. The crackdown has led to numerous arrests of activists, journalists, and lawyers. ~~While regional offices reported 21 detentions in Ankara and 26 in Istanbul,~~ Among those detained was Seniye Nazik Işık, a former president of the ~~rights group Kaos GL claims at least 50 activists have been detained.~~ Izmir City Council. The Aegean City Councils Union has protested these detentions, arguing that organizational work should not be treated as a criminal offense. In ~~Istanbul, protests erupted near the Caglayan courthouse, where police used tear gas~~ addition to ~~disperse demonstrators~~ physical raids, authorities have implemented widespread digital restrictions. The labor union DİSK Basın-İş reported that accounts for Evrensel Newspaper, Amnesty International Turkey, and ~~detained dozens more. On September 14, 2026, police also used tear gas to disperse approximately 200 protesters in Izmir. Authorities~~ the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) have been blocked ~~access to numerous websites and social media accounts belonging to LGBTQ+ organizations~~ on X and ~~human rights defenders.~~ Instagram. DEM Party spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan described the blocking of X accounts belonging to ~~journalists~~ journalists, writers, and ~~academics~~ Peace Academics as ‘serious interventions against freedom of expression and organization.’ Protests in Istanbul and Izmir have been met with police intervention, including the use of tear gas. International bodies, including the Council of ~~Europe,~~ Europe and the European Commission, have expressed deep concern, characterizing the actions as state-led discrimination.

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