Turkish authorities have launched a large-scale series of police operations targeting LGBTQI+ organisations, activists, entertainment venues and individuals across 15 provinces, marking a significant escalation in the pressure facing Türkiye’s LGBTQI+ community.
The operations, conducted under the name “Ailem Güvende” (“My Family Is Safe”), involve judicial proceedings against 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses, according to figures announced by Justice Minister Akın Gürlek and reported by T24. Investigations coordinated by prosecutors in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Aydın and Mersin include allegations ranging from obscenity and prostitution-related offences to drug possession and forming a criminal organisation. Authorities are also examining foreign funding received by some associations, T24 reported.
One of the most prominent targets is Kaos GL, one of Türkiye’s best-known LGBTQI+ rights organisations. According to T24, 21 people associated with the organisation’s management and supervisory boards, including substitute members, were detained, while five others were being sought. Police also searched Kaos GL’s Ankara office.
Prosecutors allege that material published through the organisation’s website and social media accounts violated Article 226 of the Turkish Penal Code concerning “obscenity”. T24 noted, however, that the investigation documents it reviewed did not identify the specific content considered to constitute the alleged offence.
The crackdown has extended beyond organised civil society. T24 separately reported that performer Arif Saçlı, widely known as “Zenne Arif”, was detained in İzmir as part of the “Ailem Güvende” operations.
The raids coincide with a broader tightening of restrictions on LGBTQI+ organisations and their digital presence. Bianet previously reported that an İstanbul court had blocked access to a series of LGBTQI+ dating applications, following earlier restrictions targeting the social media accounts of LGBTQI+ organisations.
The latest operations have triggered strong criticism from rights advocates, lawyers and opposition figures. According to Bianet’s coverage of reactions to the raids, critics portrayed the operation as an attack not only on individual organisations but also on LGBTQI+ people’s ability to exist publicly and organise collectively.
The crackdown also unfolds against the backdrop of the Turkish government’s increasingly prominent emphasis on protecting the traditional family and increasing the country’s population. The name of the operation itself — “My Family Is Safe” — places the police campaign within this wider political narrative.