Turkey’s Justice Ministry has instructed prosecutors in all 81 provinces to review complaints about material that it claims exposes children to obscenity or promotes “genderlessness,” as the number of people jailed pending trial in raids targeting LGBTQ groups and venues rose to at least 21.
The ministry sent the instructions on Monday to 175 chief public prosecutors’ offices that serve high criminal courts.
The circular calls for the review of complaints about obscene or criminal material targeting children and young people, the collection of digital evidence and requests for online access restrictions when deemed necessary.
It does not name LGBTQ groups but refers to activities that allegedly encourage children and young people to become “genderless.”
The order followed raids conducted under the “My Family Is Safe” operation in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Aydın and Mersin.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced that 162 people, nine associations and 13 businesses were subject to legal proceedings across 15 provinces.
The separate investigations concern allegations of obscenity, prostitution and drug offenses along with an alleged criminal organization in the İstanbul case.
Prosecutors also claim that children were exposed to content about sexual orientation and gender identity without regard for their age or development.
A court in İzmir jailed 16 of 18 people pending trial and released the other two under judicial supervision.
Six other people sought in that investigation had not been detained.
A court in Kuşadası, a district of the western province of Aydın, later jailed five people pending trial, raising the confirmed total to 21.
A sixth person detained in Kuşadası was released after questioning by a prosecutor.
The allegations in the Kuşadası case concern disturbing the peace, publishing obscene material, facilitating prostitution and possessing or purchasing drugs.
Police detained 26 people in the İstanbul-led investigation, which targeted 38 people across 12 provinces.
Another 21 people were detained in Ankara in an investigation centered on Kaos GL, one of Turkey’s main LGBTQ rights groups, while five others were being sought.
Local reports said 50 people were detained in Mersin, although their court status has not been made public.
No verified nationwide detention total has been released.
Gürlek also said Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) was examining transfers of funds from overseas to some of the associations.
Courts have also blocked websites and social media accounts belonging to LGBTQ groups, journalists and rights organizations, among them Amnesty International’s Turkey branch, the Evrensel newspaper, Academics for Peace and the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA).
About 200 people gathered in downtown İzmir on Monday to protest the raids and jailings.
Police fired tear gas at the demonstrators and detained two people, one of them a lawyer, Agence France-Presse reported.
Police also prevented demonstrators from displaying LGBTQ signs and rainbow flags.
The Kuşadası district governor’s office separately banned the reading of a press statement planned in protest of the raids.
US senator urges sanctions legislation
US Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged Congress to pass the Global Respect Act in response to the Turkish operations.
Shaheen expressed concern about the detentions and legal proceedings against LGBTQ people and organizations across Turkey, adding that human rights are universal.
The Global Respect Act would allow the United States to deny or revoke visas for foreign people found responsible for serious human rights violations against LGBTQ people.
The latest Senate version was introduced on June 26, 2025, and referred to the Foreign Relations Committee but has not become law.
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders Andrea Bolaños Vargas called for the release of anyone detained solely for legitimate human rights work.
UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association Gina Romero said she was appalled by the operation and would raise the matter with the Turkish government.
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty warned on Tuesday that advocacy for equality and nondiscrimination is protected under the European Convention on Human Rights.
O’Flaherty said the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has made clear that references to “family values” or the “protection of children” cannot by themselves justify restrictions on human rights.
He also raised concern about reports that defense lawyers were denied access to investigation files and that people under investigation were required to retain separate lawyers without specific evidence of a conflict of interest.
Such measures could hinder access to legal assistance and the right to a fair trial, O’Flaherty said.
He called on Turkey to release anyone detained for human rights or civil society work and to ensure access to lawyers, judicial review, protection from ill-treatment and the presumption of innocence.
The European Union had earlier voiced concern about the detentions, funding investigations and blocking orders, while European Parliament rapporteur Nacho Sánchez Amor called the operation an escalation of repression.
Same-sex relations are legal in Turkey, but President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) have increased their use of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and restrictions in recent years.
İstanbul Pride has been banned each year since 2015, while police have detained hundreds of people attempting to take part in Pride events.
The “My Family Is Safe” operation is linked to Erdoğan’s 2026 to 2035 “Decade of Family and Population,” a government program aimed at addressing falling birth rates and an aging population.
Turkey’s Human Rights Association (İHD) described the operation as state-led discrimination and an attempt to dismantle civil society.
Turkey ranked 47th among 49 European countries in ILGA-Europe’s 2026 assessment of laws and policies affecting LGBTQ people.
This article is republished from Turkish Minute.
