Turkey remands 31 people in custody as number detained at LGBTQ+ protests reaches 126

Top stories at this hour:

• Turkish authorities are carrying out a major operation called “My Family Is Safe”, spanning 15 provinces across the country.
• At least 126 people were detained during the protests, while another 31 people were placed in pretrial detention on Tuesday. A day earlier, on Monday, a court ordered another 18 people to be detained.
• Websites and accounts belonging to LGBTQ+ associations, independent media outlets, and the Turkish branch of Amnesty International were blocked.
• The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights called on the Turkish authorities to immediately release all those detained.

Related: Turkey Launches a Massive Crackdown on the LGBT+ Community

What happened?

A large-scale government operation has been launched across several Turkish provinces under the name “My Family Is Safe”. The authorities officially state that its purpose is to protect children and traditional family values. However, human rights organizations and opposition representatives stress that these actions are part of an expanding campaign of repression targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

As part of this campaign, law enforcement agencies raided the offices of civil society organizations, blocked relevant websites, and took suspects into custody in various regions.

What is the scale of the investigations and arrests?

According to Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, the investigations are being coordinated by prosecutors' offices in five key provinces—Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydın, and Mersin. Overall, the investigations involve:

• 162 suspects;
• 9 civil society organizations;
• 13 companies across 15 provinces of the country.

Courts are issuing detention orders en masse pending trial:

• On Monday, a court in the western province of Izmir ordered the detention of 18 people.
• On Tuesday, lawyers reported that at least another 31 people had been detained pending trial. They include five transgender women in Ankara and 26 people in the southern province of Mersin. Legal proceedings against the remaining detainees are ongoing.

Crackdowns on protests and internet blocks

Law enforcement agencies are brutally suppressing attempts to hold any public demonstrations:

• Outside the courthouse in Istanbul police prevented a group of activists from making a statement to the press.
• In Ankara police dispersed participants in a protest in support of LGBTQ+ people.
• According to lawyers, the total number of people detained during protests in Ankara and Istanbul reached at least 126 people.

At the same time, the authorities imposed sweeping online restrictions. Access was blocked to websites and social media pages belonging to LGBTQ+ associations, private individuals, and independent media outlets. In particular, the block affected the official social media account of the Turkish branch of Amnesty International on X (formerly Twitter).

How are international human rights advocates responding?

The Council of Europe responded to the actions of the Turkish authorities. Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty expressed deep concern over the arrests, raids, and online restrictions targeting civil society representatives and human rights defenders.

O’Flaherty stressed that references to “family values” or the protection of children cannot be used to justify infringements of human rights. He called on the Turkish authorities to immediately release everyone detained for human rights advocacy and work with civil society organizations.