Turkish police detain dozens in weekend raids on gay bars, LGBTQ+ activists' homes

Turkish police carried out raids in 12 provinces over the weekend, detaining 47 people in operations targeting gay bars and the homes of LGBTQ+ activists. The raids were part of a government campaign called "My Family is Safe," which officials say is intended to protect family values.

One target of the operation was the LGBTQ+ association Kaos GL. The Istanbul chief prosecutor's office said 26 people were detained and that officers seized drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a firearm. Separately, the Ankara chief prosecutor's office said 21 more people were detained as part of an investigation into Kaos GL.

Kaos GL itself said 50 activists had been detained in total, with more than 10 taken during raids on their homes. The organisation said authorities had also blocked several websites and social media accounts linked to LGBTQ+ groups, accusing Kaos GL of posting "obscene" content accessible to children, and demanding the closure of its X account along with those of roughly 15 other LGBTQ+ organisations.

Same-sex marriage is not legally recognised in Turkey, and pressure on gay couples has been increasing. While same-sex relations themselves are not a criminal offence, homophobia remains widespread — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has previously described LGBTQ people as "perverts" and linked them to the country's declining birth rate.

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said legal proceedings had been launched against more than 160 people, along with a number of organisations and companies nationwide, as part of the "My Family is Safe" campaign. He did not specify how many people were taken into custody but tied the raids to the broader "Decade of the Family" initiative.

The Turkish Human Rights Association, however, said the government has repeatedly used the campaign in recent years to target LGBTQ+ people, describing the operation on social media as state-led discrimination and an effort to dismantle civil society rather than a genuine family-protection effort.