Turkey sees mass detentions and blocking of LGBT resources
On September 12, 2026, the Istanbul 7th Peace Criminal Judgeship issued a decision to block access to the websites and social media pages of numerous LGBT organizations and activists. According to EngelliWeb , a project by the Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD), the ruling affected 14 accounts on the social network X (formerly Twitter) and 11 accounts on Instagram, as well as the websites of the human rights organization KaosGL and the publication Velvele.
The blockade impacted resources belonging to prominent Turkish LGBT associations such as KaosGL, Pembe Hayat, SPoD (Social Policy, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation Studies Association), LİSTAG, as well as student clubs from Boğaziçi, Bilkent, and Hacettepe universities. The restrictions also targeted the personal pages of journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders, including KaosGL Editor-in-Chief Yıldız Tar, actress and trans activist Seyhan Arman, and lawyer Levent Pişkin.
Currently, the blocking of accounts on X has already taken effect within Turkey, while the decision regarding Instagram pages has not yet been implemented. Shortly after the blocks, Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek justified the restrictions as part of a massive police operation dubbed “My Family is Safe” (Ailem Güvende). According to Gürlek, legal actions have been initiated against 162 individuals, 9 associations, and 13 businesses under the premise of protecting “children, the family institution, and social order.” He also announced an investigation into the foreign funding received by LGBT organizations, accusing them of “encouraging LGBT and immorality.”
As part of this same operation, police raids were conducted in 15 provinces across the country, including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and Mersin. According to the Turkish state news agency Anadolu, at least 63 people were detained. During searches at the offices of associations and entertainment venues, authorities seized digital equipment, unregistered firearms, drugs, and smuggled alcohol.
In Izmir, 16 out of 18 detained individuals were formally arrested, while two were released under judicial control. In Ankara, 21 people were detained as part of the investigation into Kaos GL, with five others still being sought. Police raided the homes of the organization’s board and audit committee members, as well as the Kaos GL office itself. The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office stated that the investigation is based on accusations of “obscenity” and violations of the Law on Associations due to online publications. Additionally, an arrest warrant was issued for physician Larin Kayataş on September 14.
Turkish LGBT organizations released a joint statement emphasizing that “being LGBT+, establishing associations, and defending rights is not a crime.” They pointed out that authorities failed to provide concrete evidence linking the associations’ activities to the accusations, and that receiving foreign grants, which are subject to official audits, cannot be considered a crime. Kaos GL Editor-in-Chief Yıldız Tar stated: “All financial transactions are transparent and reported to the state… What they call ‘obscenity’ is simply the very existence of LGBT+ people.”
The Turkish Human Rights Association (İHD) condemned the authorities’ actions, stating on X that “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.” The European Parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey, Nacho Sánchez Amor, called the latest detentions “a shocking escalation in the repression” of the LGBT community.
