A fierce crackdown on LGBTQ+ people in Turkey has led to raids and arrests, and the fallout is now even reaching Brussels, where people will take to the streets on Friday in support of queer Turks.
On Sunday 13 September, Turkish police launched coordinated raids targeting queer organisations, activists, homes and venues across the country as part of an operation they dubbed "My Family is Safe".
Across 15 provinces, 162 people, nine associations and 13 businesses were "investigated", according to the Turkish Justice Ministry. Akın Gürlek, Turkey's Justice Minister, said the question was "intended to protect children, families and public order."
Same-sex relations are not illegal in Turkey, but prosecutors have cited suspected offences including prostitution and the dissemination of obscene material.
Dozens of people were detained in raids in cities including Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Eight members of Kaos GL, one of Turkey's oldest LGBTQ+ rights organisations, were jailed pending trial as part of the wider investigation. Seven others were released under judicial supervision.
On the same Sunday, journalist Tuğba Tekerek was detained and transferred to Ankara for questioning over an allegation of "obscenity". The case concerned a 2024 article she wrote for the Kaos GL news website about the LGBTQ+ movement in Georgia.
Two days later, BirGün reporter Sarya Toprak and ARD TV reporter Şener Azak were detained while covering a demonstration outside Istanbul's courthouse. Toprak was released the following night alongside 105 people who had recently been arrested.
The International and European Federations of Journalists stated hundreds of social media accounts had faced access restrictions since the crackdown began. The organisations accused the Turkish government of using the judicial system to intimidate both journalists and LGBTQ+ rights defenders.
Meanwhile, protests have spread across the country. Police detained dozens of demonstrators outside Istanbul's Çağlayan courthouse on Tuesday, while demonstrations have also taken place in Ankara.
Bitter connection to Brussels
The developments are closely connected to Brussels through Mahinur Özdemir, Turkey's Minister of Family and Social Services, a former MP for the French-speaking Christian Democrat party (then cdH, now Les Engagés).
Özdemir began her political career in Belgium before becoming Turkey's ambassador to Algeria and joining Erdoğan's government in 2023.
As Family Minister, she has helped implement the government's family and population policies, which strongly emphasise the traditional family and aim to boost Turkey's declining birth rate.
Mahinur Özdemir, then a newly elected cdH member of the Brussels Parliament, pictured during its first session following the regional elections, in Brussels on 23 June 2009. Credit: Belga/Benoit Doppagne
The current "My Family is Safe" operation is part of the government's broader 2026-2035 "Decade of Family and Population" programme. Justice Minister Gürlek explicitly linked the investigations to that programme when announcing them.
Brussels-based LGBTQ+ organisation Forbidden Colours told De Standaard it is considering legal action in Belgium over Özdemir's role in Turkey's policies targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
'This was already in motion'
A Turkish gay man who lives in Brussels and insists on remaining anonymous told The Brussels Times the whole ordeal was already in motion around three years ago.
"We kept seeing singers, DJs and other well-known people being detained for various reasons. They first frightened people who had a lot of influence on social media, and afterwards they started going after people who were not as well known," he said.
As the Erdoğan government uses social media to identify new targets, he added that many people are afraid to speak out. "Even people who are not part of the LGBTQ+ community are therefore forced to remain silent."
Hours before the raids, a Turkish court ordered restrictions on websites and social media accounts belonging to queer organisations, media outlets, student groups, activists and rights defenders.
Brussels demonstration on Friday
In Brussels, a demonstration will take place on Friday afternoon in support of the queer community in Turkey. The march is scheduled for 16:00 on Rue Montoyer, opposite the Turkish consulate in Brussels.
The protest has been organised by several queer organisations in Brussels, demanding the release of those detained, an end to the arrests and an end to what it describes as hate speech and actions targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
