Turkish police detain dozens in nationwide raids on LGBTQ venues over "family values" crackdown

Turkish police raided gay bars, LGBTQ+ association offices and activists’ homes across 15 provinces over the weekend, detaining at least 60 people in a crackdown authorities said aimed to protect “family values.”
The Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said operations targeted 38 suspects in 12 provinces, seizing drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a firearm, with allegations including prostitution, obscenity and the inappropriate influence of minors on sexual orientation and gender identity. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said investigations involved 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses across 15 provinces .
Ankara-based LGBTQ+ group Kaos GL reported at least 50 detentions, including more than 10 taken from their homes, and said authorities blocked access to dozens of websites and social media accounts linked to LGBTQ+ organizations. The operation, named “My Family is Safe,” aligns with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “Decade of Family and Population” initiative .
The Turkish Human Rights Association condemned the raids, stating on X that the operation’s “real name is not ‘My Family is Safe’; it is state-led discrimination, politics of fear and the dismantling of civil society” . Erdogan has previously referred to the LGBTQ+ community as a “deviant movement” .
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