Raids targeting LGBTQ+ activists and organizations took place in Turkey over the weekend.
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Raids → target → weekend
Several people were arrested by the Turkish authorities and many social media accounts were blocked.
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accounts → arrest → authorities
The Turkish government's actions have drawn sharp criticism from across the country and also from Brussels.
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actions → draw → Brussels
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had announced the operation as part of the "Decade of Family and Population” scheme, a national strategy proclaimed in May 2025 that was to counter the drastic decline in the country's birthrate and strengthen the traditional, conservative family view in Turkey.
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that → announce → Turkey
On Tuesday, Istanbul saw demonstrations again.
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Istanbul → see → demonstrations
Turkish LGBTQ+ associations emphasized in a joint declaration that it wasn't a crime to set up an association and advocate for rights.
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it → emphasize → rights
"Freedom of assembly, freedom of opinion, protection of privacy and presumption of innocence apply to LGBTQ+ people as well," the declaration stated.
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declaration → apply → people
The LGBTQ+ community also received support from the women's movement.
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community → receive → movement
120 women's rights organizations signed a joint declaration in which they criticized authoritarianism in Turkey.
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they → sign → Turkey
"As women, we stand against the operations carried out in the name of 'keeping the family safe.'
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we → stand → family
We know that the repression of our bodies, our lives, our identities, and our right to organize is part of the same authoritarian politics.
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repression → know → politics
Organizing as [LGBTQ+] people is not a crime!", the organizations stated.
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organizations → organize → people
The government is trying to criminalize the LGBTQ+ community, says Yildiz Taghizade of Women for Women's Human Rights (WWHR), an organization that co-signed the declaration.
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that → try → declaration
This criminalization did not just start with the operations of the past few days, but had already been going on for a few years, according to Taghizade.
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criminalization → start → Taghizade
"The aim is not only to target LGBTQ+ people, but to practically ban the LGBTQ+ community from engaging in politics, getting organized, claiming rights and showing presence in the public sphere," Taghizade said.
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Taghizade → target → sphere
It was no coincidence that the operation came with the slogan "My family is safe."
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family → come → slogan
"The government is trying to justify its actions by invoking the protection of families and children, but this narrative doesn't work.
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narrative → try → families
Because when we look at Turkey today and what is actually a factor of uncertainty for families, we come across very concrete issues such as poverty, the housing crisis, unemployment, care work [caring for and tending to relatives, the ed.] passed on to women, and male violence against women," Taghizade said.
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Taghizade → look → women
Criticism from medical community, trade associations, politicians
Other organizations also criticized the government's actions.
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organizations → criticize → actions
The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) described them as a violation of human rights, demanding an end to the politics of discrimination.
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Association → describe → discrimination
It was unacceptable, it said, to treat gender identity and sexual orientation as a crime, take people out of their homes at night and block digital channels — all in the name of family protection and security.
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it → say → protection
The chairman of the Workers' Party of Turkey (TIP), Erkan Bas, called for the immediate release of those arrested, arguing that the mere existence of LGBTQ+ persons was no crime.
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existence → call → persons
But all those who did not share the government's views were "'called to order' by judiciary, truncheon and censorship.
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who → share → judiciary
If they had their way, they'd love nothing more than to enshrine the criminal offense of 'being an opponent of the government' by law and sit back," Bas said.
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Bas → have → law
In the name of 'national security'
The raids took place on Sunday in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.
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raids → take → Istanbul
Over the weekend, numerous websites and social media accounts belonging to LGBTQ+ groups, various organizations and activists were blocked.
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websites → belong → groups
On the day of the raids, another 32 accounts were suspended.
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accounts → suspend → raids
On the following day, the number of blocked accounts reached a total of more than 100.
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number → follow → 100
Among those affected were Amnesty International Turkey, the left-leaning Evrensel newspaper, the Academics for Peace initiative, the Lawyers for Justice association, the women's rights organization Mor Dayanisma, the LGBTQ+ rights group Kaos GL and the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA).
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Turkey → affect → Justice
The legal basis was a ruling by an Istanbul court announced on September 13.
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basis → announce → September
The Public Prosecutor's Office in Bakirkoy justified the suspensions by citing investigations into accounts that had spread "obscene content and LGBTQ+ propaganda."
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that → justify → content
According to several media outlets, the accounts were also blocked on grounds of "national security."
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accounts → accord → security
Critics called the move digital censorship.
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Critics → call → move
However, the Turkish government had repeatedly referred to the LGBTQ+ community as a movement of "perverts."
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government → refer → perverts
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek had previously accused LGBTQ+ organizations of "promoting immorality."
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Gurlek → accuse → immorality
He declared in a social media post that "no criminal organization, abuse network or illegal activity which targets children, youths or families will be tolerated."
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which → declare → children
EU: stigmatization incompatible with our values
The EU expressed concern as well.
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EU → express → concern
Commission Spokesperson Christian Wigand pointed out that Turkey, as an EU accession candidate, "should promote and ensure respect for the human rights and dignity of all individuals, irrespective of their gender identity or sexual orientation."
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Turkey → point → identity
He added that "stigmatization and discrimination are contrary to the values of the union."
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stigmatization → add → union
Emma Sinclair-Webb, Turkey director at Human Rights Watch, interpreted the arrests as proof of the government's intention to criminalize LGBTQ+ persons without enacting new laws.
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Webb → interpret → laws
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
