Turkey detains 63 in mass raids on queer groups, then detains the protesters

Police raided organisations, homes and bars under an operation called 'My Family is Safe', then used pepper spray on those who turned up to object.

Told by Claire Lawson · 19 September 2026

Turkey's been legal for same-sex relationships since 1858, which is longer than most of Europe, and it's been angling for EU membership for years, so you'd think the government might've worked out by now that rounding people up for being queer is not a great look. But early Sunday morning, police carried out coordinated raids across Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and twelve other provinces, targeting LGBTQ+ organisations, activists' homes, bars and community spaces. At least 63 people were detained on the first day, according to prosecutors quoted by the state news agency Anadolu. By 17 September, rights groups counted at least 116 detained and 82 formally arrested. Phones, computers, tablets and USB drives were seized from the offices of Kaos GL, one of Turkey's oldest queer advocacy groups.

The government called it "My Family is Safe"—an operation Justice Minister Akin Gürlek said was necessary to "protect children, the institution of the family, and public order." Prosecutors are investigating 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses. Gürlek claimed the raids followed accusations of prostitution and obscenity, which is the kind of language governments reach for when they want to criminalise existence without saying so out loud.

Here's what "protecting the family" looked like two days later: on Tuesday 15 September, police surrounded protesters outside Istanbul's Çağlayan courthouse who had gathered to demand the release of those arrested. The group unfurled a banner reading Being LGBTQ is not a crime and chanted "Free those detained immediately!" Police moved in and detained them—along with two journalists who were covering it, one from the daily BirGün and one from Germany's ARD. In Izmir, around 200 people protested on Monday. Police used pepper spray. Two more people were detained, including a lawyer.

"I am very angry, frustrated and disappointed," a 44-year-old protester told AFP outside the Istanbul courthouse. "I have been following cases concerning justice in Turkey for a very long time, and what we are seeing now is deeply disturbing."

The raids didn't start on Sunday. The day before, on 12 September, a court order began restricting access to the websites and social media accounts of LGBTQ+ organisations, independent media platforms, student groups and human rights defenders. Prosecutors alleged that material on Kaos GL's website and social accounts constituted "obscene" content accessible to children. The digital censorship happened first—cutting off access to health information, legal support and the ability to organise—before the physical raids began.

Martha Dimitratou, founder of Repro Uncensored, which monitors digital censorship globally, described it plainly: "Digital censorship is being used alongside raids and detentions to isolate LGBTQI+ communities, silence their voices and dismantle their ability to organise. This coordinated repression is a direct threat to democracy, freedom of expression and respect for fundamental human rights."

The European Commission said it was concerned. Turkish opposition MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu called the raids "serious human rights violations" and "a collective, illegal attack targeting sexual orientation and gender identity, a fundamental and existential right." The targeted organisations released a joint statement: "Being LGBTİ+, forming an association, and defending human rights are not crimes. We are not a silent community waiting for others to speak about us. We speak about our own lives, document discrimination, criticise public policies, formulate demands, and organise. This is how we exercise our citizenship."

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly blamed LGBTQ+ people for Turkey's falling birthrate and declared a "Decade of the Family." His government has reportedly been preparing legislation modelled on Russia's so-called LGBT propaganda ban. Public Pride events have been effectively banned since 2015, with police dispersing marches and detaining participants every year since. This year alone, at least 125 people were detained during Pride season, and more than 120 LGBTQ+ and feminist social media accounts were suspended.

Same-sex activity has been legal in Turkey for 168 years. The country still wants to join the European Union. And on Tuesday, police detained dozens of people who had gathered outside an Istanbul courthouse to protest.

Correction, 27 September 2026: an earlier version said the protesters were arrested (they were detained), placed the courthouse protest at the weekend (it was Tuesday 15 September) and said a 44-year-old protester was detained, which no report said. Three repeat versions of this story have been removed.