Turkish authorities launch crackdown on LGBTQ+ and HIV support groups

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish authorities cracked down on multiple LGBTQ+ groups and individuals early Sunday morning, detaining dozens of members, breaking into association offices and raiding popular hangouts.

In an escalation of its decade-long hostility toward LGBTQ+ groups, particularly in the lead-up to elections, simultaneous police raids beginning at 1 a.m. took place in the major cities of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydin and Mersin.

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek announced on social media that the investigation into 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses was to "protect children, the institution of the family, and public order" in line with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 10-year executive order relating to families and children.

"As per the duty to protect families and children given to the state by the constitution, no criminal organization, abuse network or illegal activity which targets children, youths or families will be tolerated!" Gurlek said.

The raids targeted both current and former members of multiple prominent LGBTQ+ rights and HIV awareness groups. The organizations' websites were also blocked.

Gurlek also noted that such associations were found to receive significant funding from international sources and agencies.

The Human Rights Association condemned the raids. "This is not a judicial investigation; it is a political operation aimed at forcing society into a monolithic family model and purging LGBTI+ and independent civil society under the guise of protecting the family and children," it said.

"To include unrelated charges such as 'forming a criminal organization,' 'drugs,' 'prostitution' and 'obscenity' serves not to reveal the truth but to incriminate the entire community."

The religious conservative Justice and Development Party has been increasingly vocal against LGBTQ+ groups to play up to the more conservative elements of its base. In 2015, it banned Istanbul Pride, which had tens of thousands of attendees in previous years prior. Since then, authorities have violently dispersed any attempted gatherings for Pride.

This summer, an LGBTQ+ cruise ship that tours the Mediterranean and has docked in Turkey multiple times in the past was refused permission to dock there.

The Ottoman Empire, predecessor to the modern republic of Turkey, decriminalized homosexuality in 1858, however there is still significant social discrimination.