Turkish authorities have initiated a series of simultaneous police raids targeting LGBTQ+ and HIV awareness organizations across five major cities. The operations, which commenced at 1 a.m., were carried out in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydin, and Mersin. This action represents a significant escalation in the government's decade-long hostility toward LGBTQ+ groups, a pattern that frequently intensifies in the lead-up to national elections.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek announced the investigation via social media, confirming that the operation targets 162 suspects, nine associations, and 13 businesses. According to Gurlek, the raids were conducted to “protect children, the institution of the family, and public order,” in accordance with a 10-year executive order established by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regarding family and child welfare. “As per the duty to protect families and children given to the state by the constitution, no criminal organization, abuse network or illegal activity which targets children, youths or families will be tolerated!” Gurlek stated. In addition to the physical raids, the websites of the targeted organizations have been blocked.
The Justice Minister further alleged that these associations had received significant funding from international sources and agencies. The raids specifically targeted both current and former members of prominent LGBTQ+ rights groups and HIV awareness organizations.
The Human Rights Association issued a sharp condemnation of the crackdown, characterizing it as a political maneuver rather than a judicial investigation. “This is not a judicial investigation; it is a political operation aimed at forcing society into a monolithic family model and purging LGBTI+ and independent civil society under the guise of protecting the family and children,” the organization stated. They further argued that the inclusion of unrelated charges—such as “forming a criminal organization,” “drugs,” “prostitution,” and “obscenity”—was intended to incriminate the entire community rather than reveal the truth.
The ruling Justice and Development Party has increasingly utilized anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric to appeal to its conservative base. Since banning the Istanbul Pride march in 2015, authorities have consistently and often violently dispersed attempts to hold Pride gatherings. Furthermore, this summer, an LGBTQ+ cruise ship that has frequently docked in Turkey in the past was denied permission to enter the country. While the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor to the modern republic of Turkey, decriminalized homosexuality in 1858, significant social discrimination persists today.
