More than 150 people were detained in Turkey on Monday after police forces intervened to break up a gathering held near the Çağlayan courthouse in Istanbul. The protest had been organized against the recent arrests of several members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Të lidhura
None found
The Turkish authorities’ operation against the LGBTQ+ community has extended to several provinces and included raids on the offices of organizations, the blocking of online pages and the detention of suspected individuals.
According to accounts published by Reuters and Agence France-Presse, the protesters intended to speak to the media outside the courthouse but were prevented from doing so by police. They carried a banner reading, “Being LGBTQ+ and organizing is not a crime,” while chanting slogans including, “Long live life, against hatred.” Shortly afterward, police intervened to disperse the gathering.
The “My family is safe” campaign is the framework under which this operation is being carried out. The Turkish government says the initiative aims to protect children and family values.
Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, has also expressed concern about the recent developments, criticizing the arrests, searches and internet restrictions targeting LGBTQI+ organizations and human rights defenders.
O’Flaherty stressed that references to “family values” or the “protection of children” do not, in themselves, constitute sufficient grounds for restricting human rights. He also called for the release of individuals detained because of their activities defending human rights or civil society.
A day earlier, the European Union also expressed concern over the arrests and legal proceedings against LGBTI+ activists in Turkey.
In Izmir province, a court ordered the pretrial detention of 16 people as part of the same operation. Justice Minister Akin Gürlek said investigations coordinated by prosecutors in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydın and Mersin involved 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses across 15 provinces.
Over the weekend, authorities had arrested at least 26 people in Istanbul and another 21 in Ankara, while also raiding the offices of LGBTQ+ organizations.
In addition to the detentions and searches, Turkish authorities have restricted access to the websites and social media accounts of several LGBTQ+ organizations, individuals and independent media outlets. Among them is the X account of Amnesty International Turkey.
The operation has been opposed by the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, which condemned the crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community.
The measures against the community have been taken at a time when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is promoting the “Decade of Family and Population” campaign. The initiative seeks to address the declining birth rate and an aging population.
Although homosexuality is not a criminal offense in Turkey, human rights organizations have for years denounced discrimination and pressure against the LGBTQ+ community. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly made statements against LGBTQ+ people and linked them to the decline in birth rates.
