On Tuesday, Turkish authorities detained at least 150 people after police intervened in a gathering near Istanbul's Çağlayan Courthouse, where demonstrators planned to protest recent detentions targeting LGBTQ+ groups, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
According to media reports, the detentions marked another stage in the escalation of a campaign that human rights organizations and opposition figures describe as an increasingly broad offensive against the LGBTQ+ community: over the past week, authorities have raided the offices of civic associations, blocked websites, and arrested suspects in various provinces across the country.
On Tuesday, a group of people gathered to make a statement to the press, but police prevented them from doing so near the courthouse.
The protesters chanted, "Long live life in defiance of hatred," when police began taking action.
The protest followed a series of large-scale raids against LGBTQ+ organizations in several Turkish provinces as part of an operation called "My Family Is Safe"; according to the government, it aims to protect children and family values.
In addition,
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty expressed concern on Tuesday over arrests, raids, and internet restrictions targeting the LGBTQ+ community and human rights defenders.
He said that references to "family values" or "the protection of children" cannot, in themselves, justify restrictions on human rights, and called for the release of everyone detained for human rights or civic activities.
On Monday, a court in the western province of İzmir ordered 16 people to be remanded in custody pending investigation as part of the operation, the local prosecutor's office said.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said on Sunday that investigations coordinated by prosecutors in Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Aydın, and Mersin involve 162 suspects, nine civic associations, and 13 commercial enterprises in 15 provinces.
Over the weekend, authorities detained at least 26 people in Istanbul and 21 in Ankara, and also raided the offices of several LGBTQ+ organizations.
Turkish authorities also blocked access to websites and social media pages belonging to various LGBTQ+ organizations, individuals, and independent media outlets, including the X account of the Turkish branch of the human rights organization Amnesty International.