Turkish police detain at least 150 at Istanbul LGBTQ+ protest gathering

Istanbul, Turkey. Turkish authorities detained at least 150 people on Tuesday after police intervened at a gathering outside Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse, where demonstrators had planned to protest recent detentions targeting LGBTQ+ groups.

The detentions came amid raids, website blocks and arrests involving LGBTQ+ associations and activists in several provinces.

Courthouse gathering

A group gathered outside the courthouse to make a press statement, but police prevented them from doing so, witnesses said.

Protesters chanted, “Long live life in defiance of hate”, before police moved in.

Operation across provinces

The protest followed raids targeting LGBTQ+ associations in several Turkish provinces under an operation named “My Family is Safe”, which the government says is intended to protect children and family values.

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 at least 26 people in Istanbul and 21 in Ankara over the weekend and raided the offices of several LGBTQ+ associations.

Rights concerns

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty said on Tuesday that he was concerned by arrests, raids and online restrictions targeting LGBTQ+ civil society and human rights defenders.

He said references to family values or the protection of children could not alone justify restrictions on human rights, and called for the release of anyone detained for human rights or civil society work.

A Turkish court on Monday ordered 16 people held pending trial in the western province of Izmir as part of the operation, according to the local prosecutor’s office.