The Turkish Minister of Justice, Akin Gürlek, informed via the social network X, as reported by Efe, that judicial proceedings have been initiated against 162 individuals, nine associations, and 13 locations across 15 provinces in the scope of the operation named 'My Family is Safe.'
Gürlek specified that the objective of this operation covers people who facilitate prostitution and suspects involved in the production and dissemination of obscene content accessible to children.
Additionally, the police investigation focuses on allegations of financial movement originating from 'LGBT associations that promote immorality,' with the financing of these activities detected through substantial funds from foreign entities.
Although homosexuality has been legal in Turkey since 1858 and gender reassignment is permitted in the civil registry after surgery, the situation has been marked by recent repressive actions.
The association KAOS GL, recognized as one of the oldest and most respected in the defense of homosexual rights in Turkey, founded in 1994, announced that its offices in Ankara were subject to police raids and that more than ten of its members were detained at their residences.
In a coordinated police action during the early morning hours, the police also conducted searches in various massage parlors and nightclubs located in downtown Istanbul, while the accounts of many activists had their access blocked.
In June, Turkish authorities had already blocked the accounts of activists and associations linked to homosexual and transgender rights, in addition to closing one of Istanbul's oldest gay bars and prohibiting the stops of a cruise ship carrying 2,700 homosexual passengers.
The Islamist party AKP, which has governed Turkey since 2002, allowed for the development of certain civil liberties during its first decade in power, including the annual Gay Pride march in Istanbul, always in a peaceful atmosphere. However, starting in 2015, this party banned this march and other protests, intensifying the discourse against the 'immorality' and 'obscenity' associated with homosexuality, advocating for the protection of the family.