Turkey has recently arrested at least 150 people following protests against the recent arrests of LGBTQ+ groups in Istanbul. These protests took place in front of the "Çaglayan" courthouse in Istanbul, where protesters intended to object to the government's actions regarding human rights restrictions.
Rising tensions in the LGBTQ+ community
These arrests reflect rising tensions and criticisms from human rights groups and opposing figures regarding what they describe as an escalating campaign against the LGBTQ+ community. In the past week, Turkish authorities have inspected LGBTQ+ association offices, blocked websites, and arrested suspects in several provinces.
Read more: Bangladesh Foreign Minister emphasizes positive relations with India ahead of Prime Minister's visit
On Tuesday, a group of protesters gathered in an attempt to deliver a press statement, but police did not allow them to do so. The protesters chanted "Live against hate" as police moved towards them.
Operation "My Family is Safe"
These protests have emerged following extensive inspections of LGBTQ+ associations in several provinces of Turkey under an operation called "My Family is Safe." The Turkish government claims that this operation is aimed at protecting children and family values.
The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Mikail Oflarti, expressed his concern on Tuesday regarding these arrests, inspections, and online restrictions against the LGBTQ+ civil society and human rights defenders. He emphasized that references to "family values" or "protection of children" cannot be used as justifications for human rights restrictions and called for the release of anyone detained for human rights or civil activities.
A Turkish court on Monday placed 16 people in İzmir under provisional detention awaiting trial. This information was obtained from the local prosecutor's office. Turkey's Minister of Justice, Akın Gurel, announced on Sunday that investigations conducted by prosecutors in Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Aydın, and Mersin involve 162 suspects, 9 associations, and 13 businesses across 15 different provinces.
Authorities also arrested at least 26 people in Istanbul and 21 people in Ankara over the past weekend and inspected the offices of several LGBTQ+ associations. Turkey has also blocked access to websites and social media accounts belonging to various LGBTQ+ associations, individuals, and independent media, including the X account of Amnesty International in Turkey.
Read more: Widespread arrests in Turkey; LGBTQ+ targets in the government's crosshairs · The bitter fate of twin sisters; from torture to death sentence
