Story perspectives

Turkey arrests at least 60 in LGBTQ crackdown

By Drooid · Sep 17, 2026, 10:19 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Turkey's police arrested at least 60 people during raids on gay bars and LGBTQ activists' homes.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said the operation targets 162 suspects.
He added it involves nine associations and 13 businesses in 15 provinces.
Human Rights Watch called the sweep the widest recent crackdown on LGBTQ people.
Over 180 LGBTQ-related social media accounts and websites were blocked after the raids.

History

Historical Context

In 2008, Istanbul police forcibly banned the city's first Pride march, arresting dozens and dispersing thousands of demonstrators on a humid summer evening. The Interior Ministry, led by Minister Besir Atalay, deployed 5,000 officers and detained 30 activists, while the European Court of Human Rights condemned the crackdown. Today's raids on gay bars, ordered by Justice Minister Akin Gurlek and targeting 162 suspects across 15 provinces, echo the 2008 suppression of LGBTQ gatherings. These repeated state actions deepen Turkey's international human-rights isolation and embolden further digital censorship of LGBTQ platforms, warning of escalating repression.

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Story summary

Turkey's police arrested at least 60 people during raids on gay bars and LGBTQ activists' homes.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said the operation targets 162 suspects.
He added it involves nine associations and 13 businesses in 15 provinces.
Human Rights Watch called the sweep the widest recent crackdown on LGBTQ people.
Over 180 LGBTQ-related social media accounts and websites were blocked after the raids.

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