Overview
- Justice Minister Akin Gurlek and prosecutors said legal proceedings were opened against 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses after coordinated raids carried out on Sunday across a dozen-plus provinces including Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.
- Police and prosecutors executed simultaneous searches of association offices, private homes and venues frequented by the LGBTQ+ community, with official reports citing seizures of drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a firearm.
- Detention figures vary by source, with state offices reporting dozens arrested and groups such as Kaos GL saying about 50 activists were detained and more than 10 taken from their homes.
- Courts ordered blocking of scores of LGBTQ+-linked websites and social accounts and prosecutors alleged some groups received overseas funding and provided material they say reached minors, charges rights groups call pretexts for repression.
- Domestic rights organisations and European observers condemned the operation as discriminatory and damaging to civil society, warning it could curb HIV-awareness work, shrink space for independent groups, and strain Turkey’s human-rights standing with partners.