Story perspectives

Turkey raids LGBTQ+ groups across 15 provinces, arrests dozens

By Drooid · Sep 15, 2026, 11:18 PM UTC · How we work

Center

Arrests defy family values

Turkish authorities raided LGBTQ+ association offices in 15 provinces, arresting dozens of people during the “My Family is Safe” operation on September 13-15, 2026.
Council of Europe Commissioner Michael O'Flaherty said the arrests cannot be justified by references to family values.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek reported 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses were investigated.
Lawyers said at least 31 people remained in custody pending trial on September 15.

Left

Raids obscure systemic issues

Turkish police raided LGBTQ+ association offices and arrested people in 15 provinces during the “My Family is Safe” operation from September 13-15, 2026.
While authorities claim the raids protect families, critics argue the operation conceals deeper problems of poverty, inadequate social policies, and rising femicide.
Kaos GL, Turkey’s leading LGBTQ+ group, had 21 members arrested during the raids.
About 150 protesters were detained outside Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse while chanting against the crackdown.

Blindspot

Around 150 protesters were detained outside Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse while chanting against the “My Family is Safe” crackdown, according to the left-leaning sources.
Within this story’s sources, this angle appears mainly in Left-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Center-leaning coverage.

1 of 3

Arrests defy family values

Turkish authorities raided LGBTQ+ association offices in 15 provinces, arresting dozens of people during the “My Family is Safe” operation on September 13-15, 2026.
Council of Europe Commissioner Michael O'Flaherty said the arrests cannot be justified by references to family values.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek reported 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses were investigated.
Lawyers said at least 31 people remained in custody pending trial on September 15.

1 / 3