Turkish court remands 16 suspects in LGBTQ+ association crackdown
A court in Izmir ordered 16 people held pending trial as Turkish authorities expanded investigations involving LGBTQ+ associations and businesses.
Izmir, Turkey. A Turkish court ordered 16 people detained pending trial following an operation targeting LGBTQ+ associations and businesses, the Izmir chief prosecutor’s office said on Monday.
Detentions and investigations
The prosecutor’s office said 18 suspects were detained under the “My Family is Safe” operation. Sixteen were remanded in custody, while two others were placed under judicial supervision.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said on Sunday that investigations coordinated by prosecutors in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydin and Mersin involved 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses in 15 provinces.
Authorities detained 26 people in Istanbul and 21 in Ankara over the weekend and raided the offices of several LGBTQ+ associations.
Government and rights groups respond
The government said the operation was intended to protect children and family values.
Prosecutors said the investigations concerned alleged offences including prostitution and obscenity, and allegations that children and minors were being inappropriately influenced on matters relating to sexual orientation and gender identity.
Rights groups said the government had increasingly targeted the LGBTQ+ community through rhetoric, restrictions and legal measures. The Turkish Human Rights Association described the operation as “state-led discrimination, politics of fear and the dismantling of civil society”.
Nacho Sanchez Amor, the European Parliament’s Turkey rapporteur, called the arrests “a shocking escalation” of repression.
Family policy
The operation comes as President Tayyip Erdogan promotes a “Decade of Family and Population” initiative aimed at addressing declining birth rates and an ageing population.
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