Turkey Launches Sweeping Crackdown on LGBTQ+ and HIV Support Groups

Turkish authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown on LGBTQ+ organisations and individuals, detaining dozens of people and raiding association offices and popular meeting places across several cities.

The coordinated police operations began early Sunday in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydin and Mersin, with authorities also blocking websites and social-media accounts linked to LGBTQ+ organisations and activists.

Turkey’s Justice Minister Akin Gürlek said investigations were being conducted against 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses. He said the operation was intended to protect children, families and public order, citing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s “Decade of Family and Population” initiative.

Prosecutors in Istanbul separately said police operations across 12 provinces resulted in 26 detentions from an investigation involving 38 suspects. In Ankara, another 21 people were detained in a separate investigation involving the LGBTQ+ association Kaos GL, according to Reuters.

Kaos GL said at least 50 activists had been detained, including more than 10 people who were taken from their homes during police raids. The organisation also said authorities had blocked access to dozens of websites and social-media accounts belonging to LGBTQ+ groups, activists and rights advocates.

Authorities have linked the investigations to allegations including prostitution and obscenity. Prosecutors also alleged that there was evidence of children and underage youths being inappropriately influenced on issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity.

The government has presented the operation as part of a broader effort to protect traditional family values and address Turkey’s declining birth rate and ageing population.

However, human rights organisations and LGBTQ+ advocates have strongly criticised the raids, describing them as discriminatory and an attempt to suppress civil society.

The Turkish Human Rights Association condemned the operation, arguing that the campaign represents state-led discrimination and the use of fear to weaken civil society. European Parliament rapporteur for Turkey Nacho Sánchez Amor also described the arrests as a serious escalation of repression and criticised what he called the imposition of a government-backed moral agenda.

The crackdown follows years of increasing restrictions on LGBTQ+ activism in Turkey. Pride events have faced bans and police intervention, while LGBTQ+ organisations and activists have increasingly come under legal and political pressure.

Earlier this year, Amnesty International criticised the prosecution of members of the Genç LGBTI+ Association, describing the case as part of what it called an orchestrated campaign of harassment against LGBTQ+ organisations and their supporters.

Homosexuality itself is not criminalised in Turkey, but LGBTQ+ rights groups say the political and legal environment has become increasingly hostile to the community.

The latest operation has therefore raised fresh concerns among rights advocates over freedom of association, expression and access to support services, including organisations working with people living with HIV.

With investigations continuing across multiple provinces, LGBTQ+ organisations and rights groups are now closely monitoring further arrests, prosecutions and restrictions on their activities.