Turkish police raid LGBTI+ associations, homes and venues across 15 provinces in “My Family is Safe” operation

Turkish police and gendarmerie carried out coordinated raids across 15 provinces in the early hours of Sunday, 13 September, targeting LGBTI+ associations, private homes and entertainment venues as part of an operation named “My Family is Safe” (Ailem Güvende).

The operation was coordinated by the chief public prosecutors’ offices in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Aydın and Mersin. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced that judicial proceedings had been initiated against 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 companies.

Authorities cited allegations including establishing an organisation for the purpose of committing crimes, prostitution, obscenity, and the possession or purchase of drugs for personal use.

The number of people detained varies between sources. The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office reported that 26 people had been detained following searches at 38 addresses, 10 businesses and six LGBTI+ associations. The Human Rights Centre of the İstanbul Bar Association, however, said it had confirmed the names of 54 detainees, who were being held at the Maslak Gendarmerie Command. It also reported that each lawyer was permitted to meet only one detainee. Anadolu Agency, citing prosecutors in Ankara, İstanbul and İzmir, reported that at least 63 people had been detained. At the time of writing, no court decisions concerning remand in custody had been reported.

Gürlek stated that the operations were conducted in accordance with President Erdoğan’s “2026–2035 Family and Population Decade” vision and Presidential Circular 2026/4. He described the operation as intended to protect children, the institution of the family and social order. Gürlek also said that financial intelligence reports prepared by MASAK were being used to investigate funds transferred from abroad to LGBTI+ associations.

The offices of Kaos GL, one of Türkiye’s leading LGBTI+ rights organisations, were searched, while members of its board were detained during raids on their homes. Kaos GL reported that nearly 50 LGBTI+ rights defenders across the country had either been detained or become subject to judicial proceedings. According to the organisation, judicial authorities in Ankara alleged that it had published obscene social-media content accessible to children.

The operation followed another restrictive measure the previous day, when the X accounts of more than a dozen Turkish LGBTI+ organisations were blocked at the authorities’ request. Kaos GL’s website had already been blocked by an İstanbul criminal judgeship of peace in June 2026, followed by the blocking of its Instagram account in the same month. Its editor-in-chief, Yıldız Tar, was remanded in custody in June and released in July.

Nacho Sánchez Amor, the European Parliament’s standing rapporteur on Türkiye, described the raids on X as a “shocking escalation” in repression. Özgül Saki, a DEM Party MP for İstanbul, responded on X that “existence cannot be banned.”

https://x.com/NachoSAmor/status/2099079367556989068?s=20

Same-sex relations are not a criminal offence in Türkiye. The operation instead relies on criminal-law provisions concerning obscenity, prostitution and organised crime against registered associations whose stated purpose is the defence of LGBTI+ rights.

Regarding the operations, Prof. Johan Vande Lanotte said: “One by one, all groups that do not act or think exactly as the regime wants are being persecuted. The rule of law in Türkiye is non-existent.”