Turkish police have detained dozens of people after conducting nationwide raids targeting LGBTQ organizations.
Police swooped on gay bars, offices and homes of activists in major cities including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and Mersin on Sunday, escalating Turkiye’s decade-long hostility toward LGBTQ groups.
State news agency Anadolu quoted prosecutors in Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir as saying that at least 63 people were detained, the AFP news agency reported.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said in a social media post on Sunday that prosecutors had launched an investigation into 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses to “protect children, the institution of the family, and public order”.
Turkish authorities targeted current and former members of multiple LGBTQ rights and HIV-awareness groups. The organizations' websites were blocked days before the police raids.
Read more here.
