Turkey detains dozens in crackdown on LGBT+ activists and journalists

Protesters teargassed as minister claims widespread raids and arrests under obscenity laws were to ‘protect families’

Turkish anti riot police officers clash with protesters during a demonstration against the arrests and growing targeting of LGBT+ activists in Ankara, on September 15, 2026. Picture: Adem ALTAN / AFP via Getty Images

Turkish authorities have used accusations of obscenity to justify a wave of raids and arrests targeting the LGBT+ community, which has grown to include journalists as well as more than 150 arrested during protests against the raids.

Starting in the early hours of Sunday, Turkish police carried out simultaneous raids on the offices of LGBT+ rights organisations and HIV-advocacy groups in the cities of Istanbul, the capital, Ankara, and the coastal city of İzmir, as well as the cities of Aydın and Mersin.