A Turkish court on Thursday ordered the closure of an LGBTQ+ association in İzmir province over alleged obscenity in its social media posts, even though prosecutors had earlier decided not to pursue criminal charges in the case, the Bianet news website reported.
The ruling, issued by the İzmir 3rd Court of First Instance, ordered that the Young LGBTQ+ Association be shut down based on what the court described as “obscene images” and “trans-themed visuals” shared on the group’s social media accounts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The association denounced the decision as politically motivated, saying it amounted to “engineering society through the judiciary in violation of constitutional safeguards” and announced that it has appealed the verdict.
The case stemmed from an investigation launched by the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in February following an inspection report that labeled five artistic designs shared by the association as obscene.
A closure lawsuit was filed alongside the investigation and, although the prosecutors later issued a decision of non-prosecution in the obscenity probe in August, it continued and ultimately resulted in the association’s closure.
During the hearings the prosecution argued that the posts violated moral values and Article 41 of the constitution on protection of the family and children’s rights.
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has increasingly portrayed LGBTQ+ visibility as a threat to public morality and family values. Pride marches have been banned in major cities for years, and officials frequently describe LGBTQ+ advocacy as an attack on traditional norms. If enacted, the 11th Judicial Package would represent one of the most restrictive legal measures targeting LGBTQ+ individuals in Turkey in recent decades.
Homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey, but homophobia is widespread. It is common for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other politicians from his party to attack LGBTQ+ individuals and accuse them of perversion and ruining family values.
Turkey was ranked 47th among 49 countries as regards the human rights of LGBTQ+ people in the 2025 edition of the Rainbow Index released in May by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), which placed Turkey among the bottom five countries for LGBTQ+ rights in Europe.
