Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday that Turkey’s crackdown on LGBT rights groups and activists threatens the rule of law and fundamental rights, urging authorities to release people HRW said were being held without credible evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
The New York-based rights group said the operations were part of a broader effort to criminalize LGBT people, silence organizations defending their rights and restrict freedom of expression and association.
“This crackdown is a blatant attempt to criminalize and marginalize LGBT people and silence the groups that stand up for their rights,” Benjamin Ward, HRW’s deputy Europe and Central Asia director, said.
Coordinated police raids between September 12 and 14 targeted seven LGBT rights organizations, two groups supporting people living with HIV and bars and nightclubs in Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Aydın and Mersin. At least 112 people were detained, with courts subsequently ordering 82 held in pretrial detention, of whom some 24 were activists, founders or executives of the targeted organizations, while one was a journalist.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said authorities had initiated legal proceedings against 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses across 15 provinces as part of an operation called “My Family Is Safe.” The figure of 162 referred to people subject to legal proceedings and was not the number detained.
The investigations, coordinated by prosecutors in Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Aydın and Mersin, involve allegations including facilitating prostitution, producing or distributing obscene material and exposing children to such material. Authorities have also cited drug-related allegations and possible violations of Turkey’s law on associations.
Gürlek said financial authorities were examining foreign funding received by some associations and whether it was connected to activities under investigation. HRW said receiving funding from foreign governments, European Union-related sources or private foundations is legal in Turkey as long as associations notify authorities, adding that it was not aware of evidence that the targeted organizations had failed to comply with those requirements.
In Ankara police detained 14 members of the executive and supervisory boards of Kaos GL, one of Turkey’s most prominent LGBT rights organizations. A court ordered seven held in pretrial detention on charges of violating the law on associations and committing an obscenity offense, while the other seven were released under judicial supervision.
Lawyers for Kaos GL said those detained were questioned about the organization’s foreign funding, social media and website content, recruitment of members and internal operations. Evidence cited in the investigation included social media posts containing photographs of two men kissing, according to HRW.
Journalist Tuğba Tekerek was also ordered held in pretrial detention. HRW said the evidence cited by prosecutors against her consisted of a 2024 article about LGBT rights in Georgia that she wrote for the Kaos GL news website.
In Istanbul a court on September 16 ordered nine founders, executives and members of the LGBT rights groups Lambda Istanbul, Hevi LGBTİ and SPoD, as well as Pozitif-İz, which supports people living with HIV, held in pretrial detention over alleged violations of Turkey’s law on associations.
Courts in Mersin and Kuşadası also ordered activists held in pretrial detention on allegations including obscenity and prostitution-related offenses. Dozens of other people in İzmir, Kuşadası and Mersin were also detained or remanded in custody in investigations involving alleged obscenity, prostitution-related and drug offenses.
The crackdown has also extended to online content. Courts issued orders between September 12 and 16 blocking dozens of websites and social media accounts belonging to LGBT organizations, rights groups and activists, according to the Freedom of Expression Association, a Turkish group that monitors internet censorship.
Police also detained more than 100 people who gathered outside Istanbul’s Çağlayan courthouse on September 15 to protest the crackdown. They were released after being held for more than 24 hours.
The operations come amid an increased government emphasis on what officials describe as protecting the traditional family. The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has designated 2026-2035 as the “Family and Population Decade,” while Gürlek has linked the recent investigations to government policies aimed at protecting children, the institution of the family and what authorities describe as public morality.
HRW said the criminal investigations and restrictions on organizations and online content amounted to a systematic campaign against LGBT rights groups and warned that the measures posed a broader threat to freedom of expression and association.
