In a sweeping nationwide law enforcement operation targeting civil society and advocacy groups, Turkish authorities have conducted extensive raids on LGBTQ+ organizations and arrested at least 26 individuals, according to state media reports released on Sunday. The coordinated police actions took place across several major metropolitan areas, impacting the physical offices of advocacy groups as well as the private residences of their staff and leadership.
The wave of arrests was publicly disclosed by Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency, which cited statements issued by prosecutors overseeing the multi-jurisdictional proceedings. According to official reports, the detentions are part of an expansive criminal probe directed at non-governmental bodies that represent and advocate for sexual and gender minorities across the nation.
Judicial and law enforcement authorities officially designated the coordinated police action as the "My Family Is Safe" operation. This titling reflects the state's broader institutional framing of the crackdown, with prosecutors asserting that the targeted interventions were conducted to protect traditional societal norms and domestic family units from outside influences.
According to statements provided by the prosecutor's office, the formal investigation covers a wide array of serious criminal accusations. Authorities confirmed that legal proceedings had previously been opened into allegations concerning the establishment of an illegal organization to commit criminal offenses, involvement in prostitution, the distribution of obscenity, and unlawful drug possession.
In detailing the evidentiary basis for the raids, prosecutors further stated that investigators had gathered material indicating that the activities carried out by the organizations were exerting an influence on minors. Officials explicitly claimed that the groups' operational work and outreach had impacted underage individuals regarding their gender identity and sexual orientation.
State prosecutors articulated the government's underlying legal and social objectives for carrying out the operation across multiple provinces. The prosecutor's office stated that the raids were fundamentally intended to prevent LGBTQ+ activities from being regarded as normal within Turkish society, arguing that such measures were necessary for the benefit of children and to preserve the institution of the family and shared moral values.
The physical enforcement measures were expansive in their reach, with security forces carrying out coordinated search and seizure warrants across 38 separate locations nationwide. The targets of the raids included the organizational headquarters of advocacy groups, general workplaces, and private residential homes. The operations were conducted across multiple prominent Turkish cities, specifically Istanbul, the capital city of Ankara, İzmir on the Aegean coast, and Antalya in the south.
Law enforcement officials indicated that the operation remains active and ongoing, with security agencies continuing their search for additional individuals sought in connection with the criminal probe. The ongoing nature of the search suggests that further detentions and official interrogations could take place as investigators process the evidence collected from the raided premises.
Among the civil society entities targeted during the Sunday morning operations was Kaos GL, one of the country's most prominent and longstanding organizations advocating for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. The organization confirmed the raid in a public post on the social media platform X, reporting that police personnel had entered its offices and taken members of its administrative board into custody.
The targeting of Kaos GL strikes at the core of Turkey's organized queer civil society, as the group has spent decades advocating for the legal protections, civil rights, and social inclusion of LGBTQ+ citizens across the country while providing community support and legal resources to marginalized individuals.
The physical raids were accompanied by widespread digital censorship targeting the affected non-governmental organizations. The Istanbul-based Freedom of Expression Association, an independent monitoring body known locally as İFÖD, reported on Saturday that the official social media accounts belonging to the targeted LGBTQ+ groups had been blocked by administrative orders ahead of the police operations.
The nationwide crackdown comes amid a broader, intensifying campaign against Turkey's queer community under the administration of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Civil liberties groups have noted a steady escalation of institutional and legal pressures directed at sexual and gender minorities, resulting in a significantly constrained civic space for community organizers and rights defenders.
Public assemblies and demonstrations organized by LGBTQ+ groups have faced systematic state prohibitions for years. Most notably, the annual Istanbul Pride march—which had previously been held openly for over a decade—has been repeatedly and strictly banned by municipal and state authorities every year since 2015.
Alongside institutional and administrative bans on gatherings, top Turkish government officials have routinely utilized harsh public rhetoric regarding sexual minorities. High-ranking members of the ruling administration, including President Erdoğan himself, have repeatedly delivered openly anti-LGBTQ+ remarks during political speeches and official public addresses, portraying the advocacy movement as a threat to Turkish societal fabric.
With 26 people detained, 38 properties searched across four major provinces, digital communications blocked, and security forces pursuing additional suspects, the "My Family Is Safe" campaign represents one of the most comprehensive institutional enforcement operations directed at Turkey's LGBTQ+ organizations in recent years.
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