Raids in Turkey: Strike against the LGBTIQ+ community

On the night of Saturday to Sunday, Turkish police launched unprecedented raids against the country's LGBTIQ+ community. Police searched clubs, bars and other community meeting places in 15 cities. LGBTIQ+ associations had previously reported that their social media accounts had been closed and board members arrested.

On behalf of the Istanbul Prosecutor General's Office, action was taken against anyone who could be associated with the rainbow flag in practically all major cities and in some holiday resorts on the Mediterranean coast. 169 suspects are being investigated and between 26 and 50 people have already been arrested.

In addition to the pubs that are publicly known as gay or queer meeting places, there are primarily nine clubs that promote the interests of the LGBTIQ+ community. The largest and most famous of these is the Istanbul Kaos Association. Around 20 members were arrested there alone. All board members were arrested at home that night. But the clubs at the large universities are also affected, where raids also took place and clubs were closed.

The entire operation is called “Security for my family.” The public prosecutor's office accuses the wanted or already arrested people of trying to influence minors and draw them into their orbit. Unlike other Muslim countries, homosexuality is not officially banned in Turkey, but it is increasingly frowned upon and criminalized by the Islamic government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Six of the clubs that have now been raided are also accused of having received funds from abroad. In addition to associations that are internationally committed to solidarity with the LGBTIQ+ community and which are said to have sent donations to the Turkish associations, the German consulate, the US embassy and the French embassy are also accused of having transferred funds to associations. The Germans are said to have transferred a total of 42,000 euros in three tranches. In total, almost $3.5 million is said to have flowed over an undisclosed period of time.

Since the coup attempt in 2016, Turkey has continued to develop towards autocracy under President Erdoğan. The parliamentary system was converted into a presidential system and freedom of the press was severely restricted.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was sentenced for the second time on Friday evening. This was one of several small claims proceedings that the public prosecutor's office is conducting against him in addition to his main corruption case. As with his first conviction, it was about an alleged insult. While his first conviction in 2023 was about insulting the Central Election Commission, in this case he is said to have insulted a local AKP politician.

Although two courts acquitted him in the case, the prosecution continued the prosecution until it found a judge willing to find İmamoğlu guilty and sentence him to two years in prison. As requested, the judge also imposed a ban on politics, which could lead to İmamoğlu formally losing his mayoral position and being re-elected in the city parliament.

Erdoğan's AKP has just demonstrated in the particularly important Istanbul district of Üsküdar how one can still win the post despite a majority of the opposition. After district mayor Sinem Dedetas was arrested, the Yeni Parti majority elected a representative, which was contested by the AKP. Then several Yeni Parti members of the city council were arrested, which was still not enough for a majority for the AKP in a second round of voting.

The AKP found a judge who declared the election invalid and scheduled a new round of voting. It was initially boycotted by the Yeni Parti. After massive pressure on individual city council members, the AKP candidate found his majority in the fourth round of voting. Üsküdar, the home district of President Erdoğan and his family, is now ruled by the AKP again.