Turkey detains 26 after 'family values' raids on LGBTQ+ groups

Turkish authorities have detained 26 people and raided the offices of six LGBTQ+ associations across the country following allegations of prostitution and obscenity, prosecutors said, in a crackdown the government says is aimed at protecting family values.The operations were carried out over the weekend across 12 provinces against 38 suspects, according to the Istanbul chief prosecutor's office. Authorities seized drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a firearm during the raids.Ankara-based LGBTQ+ association Kaos GL said at least 50 activists had been detained, including more than 10 people taken from their homes in police raids. The group said authorities had also blocked access to dozens of websites and social media accounts linked to LGBTI+ organisations, activists and rights advocates.The crackdown, dubbed "My Family is Safe", comes as President Tayyip Erdogan promotes a "Decade of Family and Population" initiative aimed at addressing Turkey's falling birth rate and ageing population.The prosecutor's office said its investigation found evidence that children and underage youths were being inappropriately influenced on issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity.Turkey's justice minister Akin Gurlek said separate investigations coordinated by prosecutors in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydin and Mersin involved judicial proceedings against 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses across 15 provinces.The raids have drawn criticism from rights groups, which say Turkey has increasingly targeted the LGBTQ+ community in recent years through tougher rhetoric and restrictions."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 Turkish Human Rights Association said on X.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.