Turkish authorities detained at least 26 people and raided [1] the offices of six LGBTQI+ associations over the weekend in a series of operations spanning multiple provinces, according to prosecutors.
The actions form part of a government campaign described as protecting family values in the Muslim-majority nation.
The Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office reported that operations were carried out across 12 provinces against 38 suspects.
Authorities seized drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol, and a firearm. Ankara-based association Kaos GL stated that some 50 activists had been detained, including more than 10 taken during raids on their homes.
Access was blocked to dozens of websites and social media accounts linked to LGBTI+ organizations, activists, and rights advocates.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said investigations coordinated by prosecutors in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydin, and Mersin involved judicial proceedings against 162 suspects, nine associations, and 13 businesses across 15 provinces.
The effort is tied to the government’s “My Family is Safe” initiative and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s broader “Decade of Family and Population” push addressing falling birth rates.
The Turkish Human Rights Association responded on X: “The real name of this operation is not ‘My Family is Safe’; it is state-led discrimination, politics of fear and the dismantling of civil society.”
Similar measures have occurred previously.
In July 2026, both Turkey and Egypt refused entry to a Virgin Voyages cruise ship, the Scarlet Lady, carrying approximately 2,000 passengers on an all-gay voyage from Athens to Venice.
Turkish authorities stated the cruise was chartered “by groups known for behaviours that do not align with the structure of our society and our moral values… We don’t allow this madness.”
Officials cited the passengers’ lifestyle as conflicting with “moral standards” and “family values.”
Attorney Mike Davis highlighted historical patterns in a post on X on September 13, 2026, quoting commentary on alliances between leftists and Islamic movements.
The quoted material referenced the Iranian Revolution: “The very people that Islam hates the most, loves Islam the most, we’re talking about the LGBT, the trans, the lesbian, the gay people. When the Islamic regime took power in Iran and it kicked out the monarchy, the Marxists were the ones that actually helped them get into power. They were the one protesting every day against the monarchy. Within a very short period of time after the Ayatollah came to power, approximately 30,000 leftists were massacred. They were taken away, they were shot in a mass grave, and they were finished with. So like, ‘Thank you very much, Marxists. You’ve helped serve your role. You were the useful idiot that got us into power. Now we don’t need you anymore. Goodbye.’”
The commentary continued: “Today, it’s amazing to see the very people that the Islamic world would be more than happy to throw off of the highest building in their city, campaigning for them and being so blind to the teachings of Islam. It’s a level of real, like, just stupidity that I don’t think I’ve ever come across in my entire life.” It also noted subsequent executions of political opponents in Iran, including approximately 9,500 and the 1988 prison massacre, in which family visits were cut off, prisoners faced brief “death commission” sessions, and those giving incorrect answers on political affiliation or religious questions were hanged, often the same day.
Davis added: “The Reds in the Red-Green (Communist-Muslim) alliance don’t understand the Greens are going to murder them, too.”
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Same-sex relations are not criminalized under Turkish law.
Yet, officials have linked recent actions to concerns over influence on children regarding sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as funding from foreign public institutions.
The raids targeted association offices, homes, bars, and other venues.