Turkish police raided homes, association offices and LGBTQ+ venues across the country on the night of 12 to 13 September 2026, in what rights groups call one of the largest coordinated actions against the queer community in Turkey's history. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced legal proceedings against 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses in 15 provinces, among them Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydın and Mersin.
The government named the operation "Ailem Güvende" ("My Family Is Safe") and placed it under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's "Decade of Family and Population 2026-2035". Prosecutors cited allegations including obscenity, providing premises for prostitution and exposing minors to obscene online content. On 14 September, the Justice Ministry sent a circular to 175 chief prosecutors in 81 provinces ordering a nationwide review of online content it described as promoting "genderlessness".
Reports on the number of people held varied through the week. Turkish officials gave a running tally of 162 people under investigation. ILGA-Europe, in a joint statement with TGEU, Front Line Defenders, ERA and other European organisations, put the number of human rights defenders and activists questioned or detained at 50 to 60, and said the raids "primarily targeted members of the boards of directors and auditors of LGBTI+ associations". By the following week, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported at least 21 people still in pre-trial detention, 16 of them in Izmir and five in the district of Kuşadası. Associations named in reporting on the raids include Kaos GL and Pembe Hayat in Ankara, SPoD, Lambda and Pozitif Yaşam in Istanbul, and Muamma and 7 Renk in Mersin. Courts also blocked dozens of LGBTQ+ organisations' websites and social media accounts over the same weekend.
What it means for travellers
Gaycation.eu lists venues in both cities at the centre of the crackdown, including Bigudi Club in Istanbul and Red Raw in Izmir. Nothing in the reporting so far points to foreign visitors being targeted, and same-sex relations have never been a criminal offence under Turkish law. What the raids confirm is the pattern our Turkey country page already describes: private life is largely left alone, but assembly and public expression are not. Istanbul Pride has been banned and broken up by police every year for more than a decade, and a draft bill that has circulated in parliament since 2025 would criminalise appearing in public in a way that does not match one's assigned gender, with up to three years in prison. ILGA-Europe ranks Turkey 47th of 49 European countries for legal protection of LGBTQ+ people.
Travellers should expect a more visible police presence around LGBTQ+ venues and organisations in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydın and Mersin over the coming weeks, and should be cautious about carrying rainbow flags or other visible symbols at any public gathering, which is where past crackdowns on Pride marches have concentrated.
