Turkiye authorities intensively crack down on sexual minority groups and activists... 162 people booked

(Istanbul = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Dong-ho = Turkiye Justice Minister Akin Gülek announced on the 13th (local time) that Turkiye authorities have carried out an intensive crackdown on sexual minority groups and activists.

Minister Gülek announced that 162 suspects, 9 organizations, and 13 businesses were booked as a result of a joint operation by prosecutors and police under the name 'My Family is Safe' in 15 provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir.

Minister Gulek explained that this investigation was conducted in accordance with the “responsibilities given to the state by the Constitution for the protection of families and children,” focusing on acts such as arranging and providing places for prostitution, producing and distributing pornography, and exposing children to such content.

During this process, narcotics and a large number of digital materials were reportedly confiscated, and access to several social media accounts and websites was blocked.

Minister Gulek said, "As a result of the Financial Crimes Investigation Commission's investigation into organizations that promote LGBT (sexual minority) issues and immoral acts, it was confirmed that a large amount of funds were inflow from foreign public institutions and organizations," adding that an investigation is also being conducted into the flow of funds.

The Istanbul Prosecutor's Office said 26 people had been arrested so far and efforts were continuing to arrest more, state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The Istanbul Prosecutor's Office elaborated that various businesses and sexual minority organizations were searched and narcotics and stimulants such as cocaine and marijuana, syringes and needles, smuggled alcohol, unlicensed handguns, and camera recording devices were confiscated.

The AFP news agency reported that prosecutors raided gay bars and nightclubs belonging to the LGBTQ community in Istanbul, and that homophobia was so prevalent in the area that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described LGBTQ people as "perverts" and the cause of low birth rates.

Reuters explained that the background to this crackdown is that President Erdogan has recently designated 2026 to 2035 as the 'decade of family and population' and is implementing policies to increase birth rates.

Bloomberg News reported that 73 websites and social media accounts related to sexual minorities were blocked by a court order, and that in July, Turkiye authorities blocked the entry of a cruise ship carrying sexual minority tourists.