Turkish police detain dozens in raids on gay bars and homes of LGBTQ+ activists
Human rights groups in Turkey have accused the government of using a family- values campaign to target the LGBTQ+ community.
Turkish police detain dozens in raids on gay bars and homes of LGBTQ+ activists
Police in Turkey have detained 47 people in a series of raids on gay bars and the homes of LGBTQ+ activists, officials say.
The raids were carried out across 12 provinces over the weekend as part of a campaign called "My Family is Safe," which the Turkish government says was created to defend family values.
Among the targets was the LGBTQ+ association Kaos GL.
Same-sex marriage is not recognised in Turkey, and pressure on gay couples has been increasing. Human rights groups in Turkey have accused the government of using the campaign to single out the LGBTQ+ community.
According to the Istanbul chief prosecutor's office, officers detained 26 people and confiscated drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a firearm during the raids.
In a separate statement, the Ankara chief prosecutor's office said a further 21 people had been detained in an investigation into Kaos GL.
The organisation said 50 activists had been detained, with more than 10 taken after police raids on their homes.
It said authorities had blocked several websites and social media accounts connected to LGBTQ+ organisations.
The group said authorities accused Kaos GL of posting "obscenity" online in material accessible to children and had sought the closure of the Kaos GL X account, along with those of about 15 other LGBTQ+ organisations.
Same-sex relations are not a crime in Turkey, but homophobia is widespread, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling LGBTQ people "perverts" and blaming them for the declining birth rate.
As part of "My Family is Safe," Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek says legal action has been launched against more than 160 people and several organisations and companies nationwide.
Gurlek did not specify how many people had been detained, but said the raids were linked to the "Decade of the Family" campaign.
The Turkish Human Rights Association, however, says the government has used the campaign in recent years to target the LGBTQ+ community.
"The real name of this operation is not 'My Family is Safe'; it is state-led discrimination, politics of fear and the dismantling of civil society," the organisation said on X.