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Turkish authorities on Sept. 13 launched a sweeping operation targeting LGBT activists, organizations and venues, with legal proceedings initiated on allegations of obscenity, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek has announced.
“As part of the ‘My Family is Safe’ operations ... carried out in coordination with our police and gendarmerie forces, legal proceedings have been initiated against 162 suspects, nine organizations and 13 companies in a total of 15 provinces,” Gürlek said in a post on X, naming Istanbul and the capital Ankara among the provinces targeted.
Gürlek did not specify how many people had been detained, but said the raids were conducted as part of the government’s “Year of the Family” campaign, which was declared to protect the “children, the institution of the family and social order.”
In Istanbul, police raided several entertainment venues identified, while LGBT rights organizations and senior executives of some of the groups were also targeted in the investigation.
Access to the social media accounts of organizations, think tanks and university student clubs active in the field of LGBT rights was also blocked.
The investigation includes allegations of “facilitating prostitution, producing obscene content and exposing children to such content,” according to Gürlek.
Gürlek also said an investigation had been launched into six LGBT organizations in Istanbul, with financial support received from abroad as part of their civil society activities coming under scrutiny.
According to a report prepared by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), the organizations had received funding from foreign individuals, foundations, organizations, embassies and public institutions.
