Large-scale operation against LGBTQI+ organisations in Türkiye

On September 12–13, a large-scale, multi-city operation dubbed "Ailem Güvende" ("My Family is Safe") was carried out in Türkiye, targeting LGBTQI+ organisations, human rights defenders, and entertainment venues. As a result of the operation conducted by the Ministry of Justice, 162 individuals were identified as suspects across 15 provinces, legal proceedings were initiated against 9 organizations and 13 businesses, and dozens of LGBTQI+ human rights defenders were detained. Simultaneously, access to dozens of websites and social media accounts was restricted, reported by Kaos GL, a Turkish LGBTQI+ media organisation.

The operation coincided with the 46th anniversary of the September 12, 1980 military coup in Türkiye.

Chronology of events

September 12, daytime — digital restrictions.

Pursuant to Decision No. 2026/9559 of the Istanbul 7th Criminal Court of Peace, access to the websites and social media accounts of numerous LGBTQI+ organizations, publications, student unions, human rights defenders, and activists was restricted. 

Night of September 12–13, 01:00 AM — Home raids and initial detentions.

Starting at 01:00 AM, members of the Kaos GL Association’s primary and reserve executive boards, as well as its audit committee, were detained following police raids on their homes. Those who were out of town were detained for transport to Ankara. A search was conducted at the association's office.

Night of September 13 — Reports from Mersin, Kuşadası, İzmir, and Istanbul.

In Mersin, operations were carried out against the Muamma LGBTQI+ Association and the Mersin 7 Colors LGBTQI+ Solidarity Association, and the associations' leaders were detained. An investigation regarding "prostitution" was also conducted in the city. At least two LGBTQI+ activists were detained in Kuşadası. In İzmir, at least one activist was detained as part of a "prostitution" operation. In Istanbul, simultaneous operations were conducted at numerous locations in the Beyoğlu and Şişli districts. Searches were carried out at addresses in the vicinity of Taksim, Cihangir, and Istiklal Avenue—reportedly including LGBTQI+ nightclubs and massage parlors.

Morning of September 13 — Second wave of raids centered in Istanbul.

A second wave of raids targeting associations was carried out in Istanbul during the morning hours. According to information leaked to the press, there was a search list comprising 15 individuals and search warrants for six associations in Istanbul, alongside a separate list of 20 people. Police entered the premises of SPoD and the HEVİ LGBTI+ Association, while entry into the offices of the Pozitiv Yaşam Association and the Pozitiv-Iz Association was gained with the help of a locksmith. Some of SPoD’s founders and individuals previously associated with the organization were detained. The chairperson of the Pink Life (Pembe Hayat) Association was also detained in Ankara.

A direct blow to Kaos GL

In an operation targeting the Kaos GL Association, all members of the executive and supervisory boards—including alternate members—were detained, and the association's office was searched. In the investigation conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office's Bureau of Crimes Against Information Systems, content on the association's website and social media accounts was cited as the basis for allegations of "obscenity." However, the specific posts that triggered the allegations were not detailed in the investigation documents.

According to a decision dated September 11 by the Ankara 4th Criminal Judgeship of Peace, the prosecutor's office alleged that Kaos GL's website and social media accounts contained "posts featuring obscenity" in a manner "visible to children" and initiated an investigation under Article 226 ("obscenity") of the Turkish Penal Code. The ruling also characterized the use of the association's website and accounts as conduct violating the Law on Associations. During the raids, telephones, computers, tablets, and other electronic devices were confiscated.

Simultaneously, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, in coordination with the Istanbul Police Department and Gendarmerie Command units, conducted operations at numerous locations in the Beyoğlu and Şişli districts.

Dozens of websites and social media accounts blocked

On September 12—the 46th anniversary of the 1980 military coup in Türkiye—dozens of websites were blocked in the country, including those of the Kaos GL Association, the 17 May Association, the ÜniKuir news site, the Pink Life (Çəhrayı Həyat) Association, SPoD, the Young LGBTI+ Association, Lambdaistanbul, the Muamma LGBTI+ Association, and velvele.net.

The blocked personal accounts included those of prominent figures such as Kaos GL Editor-in-Chief and journalist Yıldız Tar, lawyer and human rights defender Levent Pişkin, actress and trans rights activist Seyhan Arman, theater actor and LGBTI+ activist Zeynep Esmeray Özadıktı, and youth and LGBTI+ rights defender Enes Hocaoğulları. X (Twitter) complied with the decisions by blocking access to the accounts from within Türkiye, whereas Instagram has not yet done so.

During this year's Pride Month, the social media accounts of numerous LGBTI+ associations and activists were also blocked; it was revealed that the police practice of "Virtual Patrol" (*Sanal Devriye*) lay behind these actions. Notably, the 2017 legislative amendment granting this authority to the police had been annulled by the Constitutional Court of Türkiye in February 2020 after being declared unconstitutional. The court emphasized that this practice was inconsistent with the principles of a democratic society.

The Minister's statement and official charges

According to a statement by Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, legal proceedings have been initiated against 162 individuals (as suspects), 9 associations, and 13 businesses across 15 provinces as part of the "Ailem Güvende" (My Family is Safe) operations conducted by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydın, and Mersin. The statement, which was leaked to the press, cited charges such as "facilitating prostitution or providing premises for it," allegations that certain businesses enabled such activities, and the "production and dissemination of obscene content" as well as the exposure of children to such material.

According to open sources, the associations and organizations named include Kaos GL, Muamma LGBTI+ Association, Mersin 7 Colors LGBTI+ Solidarity Association, SPoD, Lambdaistanbul, HEVI LGBTI+ Association, LISTAG (Support Group for Parents of LGBTI+ Children), Positive Living Association, Pozitiv-Iz Association, and Pink Life Association.

A post inciting hatred hours before the operation

According to Kaos GL, just hours before the operations, a post targeting LGBTQI+ individuals was made from the X account of Baki Yayan—associated with the *İstiklal* newspaper, known for its closeness to the authorities: "Our state is striking with its iron fist. It is the deviants' turn. They must all be rounded up. Remnants of the people of Lot, your turn has come. That night must be this very night." Critics have pointed to the timing of this post—shortly before the operations—as further evidence that the operation was premeditated.

Reactions from political parties

The operation has drawn sharp reactions from several opposition parties in the Turkish parliament.

The DEM Party Women's Assembly described the operation as a move to "keep society in a state of subjugation," stating: "This operation, dubbed 'My Family is Safe'—as the name implies—is an operation to subjugate society... The real security problem is the violence, impunity, and discrimination that threaten the lives of women and LGBTI+ individuals."

DEM Party MP Özgül Saki addressed the government directly, saying: "Keep your family to yourselves. Your hostile concept of morality will not decide how people live, who stands alongside whom, or who organizes." Saki characterized the operation as "fabricating a crime."

Mersin MP Perihan Koca described the operation as "a new milestone in the institutionalization of fascism," stating: "The 'My Family is Safe' operation conducted against LGBTI+ associations and activists in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydın, and Mersin is no ordinary operation... because the very essence of the fascist regime is stamped with hostility toward women and LGBTI+ individuals." The LGBTI+ Bureau of the Workers' Party of Türkiye (TİP) stated: "These operations, conducted by the Ministry of Justice under the name 'My Family is Safe' (Ailem Güvende), aim to pressure organizations that stand in solidarity with society's most vulnerable and frequently targeted groups... Human rights advocacy cannot be targeted!"

EMEP (Labour Party) MP Sevda Karaca criticized the Minister of Justice—who orchestrated the operation—stating: "Imagine a Minister of Justice who criminalizes the constitutional right to organize and incites hatred and discrimination... This is not a policy of protecting the family. It is a policy of forcing society into the mold of the 'acceptable family' and 'acceptable citizen' envisioned by the Palace."

Meanwhile, Gökçe Gökçen, an MP from Izmir, described the operation as the practical implementation of regulations that had never been enacted into law, noting: "The 'influence agent' law did not pass, nor did the law against 'incitement to homosexuality'... Yet now, a non-existent law is being enforced." Gökçen emphasized that this issue concerns not only the associations targeted in the operation but all members of parliament.

Reaction from the European Parliament

Nacho Sanchez Amor, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Türkiye, issued a statement via social media criticizing the operation: "The large-scale detentions and raids targeting LGBTI+ activists last night are a shocking development that demonstrates the alarming extent to which the climate of repression in Türkiye has escalated. Imposing a specific concept of morality on society constitutes a clear violation of fundamental rights and Türkiye's international obligations. This approach is dragging the country down a very dark path."

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