One hundred and six protesters were released in Turkey after being detained on Tuesday in front of a court in Istanbul. These individuals were about to read a statement condemning the widespread attacks against members and activists of the LGBTQ community.
The Progressive Lawyers Association (CHD) confirmed the release of all 106 detainees, as reported by a correspondent from the French news agency AFP who covered most of these releases on site.
Among the detainees were two journalists: one from the left-wing newspaper BirGün and another from the German broadcaster ARD, both arrested while covering the demonstration, according to CHD and BirGün.
On Sunday morning, Turkish police conducted searches in gay bars, nightclubs, and residences of LGBTQ community activists and members. These actions were carried out based on warrants directed at 162 people, nine organizations, and 13 companies across 15 provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir.
The Turkish association for justice lawyers (AIH) reported that a total of 109 people were arrested during these operations.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leading an Islamic conservative government, classified the LGBTQ community as a 'deviant' movement composed of 'perverts.' His Minister of Justice justified the police interventions by claiming they aimed to protect 'children and the institution of the family.'
On the night in question, courts in various cities ordered the preventive detention of 81 of the people detained on Sunday, according to Kaos GL, a prominent LGBTQ rights defense organization that was also targeted by Sunday's operations.
Additionally, 33 other people appeared before a court in Istanbul. A judge ordered the detention of 20 of them, while the rest were released under conditions, reported Kaos GL.
At least nine of the detainees belonged to LGBTQ organizations. On Tuesday night, a court in Ankara ordered the detention of 13 individuals, including seven members of Kaos GL, five transgender people, and one journalist.
Another 28 people were detained in Mersin, according to the DHA agency.
Restrictions on access to websites and social media profiles of LGBTQ associations, activists, and groups, which began on Saturday, persisted the following day, according to the Turkish freedom of expression association IFOD on the social network X.
The association disclosed that the most recently blocked profiles belong to various left-wing journalists, a socialist social body, and two federations of women's organizations.
In recent days, Turkish authorities have also restricted access to accounts of lawyers, human rights defenders, the legal defense group MLSA, Amnesty International Turkey, the 'Academics for Peace' collective, and the Evrensel newspaper, among others.
Despite same-sex relationships being legal in Turkey, hostility towards the LGBTQ population remains widespread, with homophobia visible even at the highest levels of government.
The Turkish LGBTQ community has faced increasing pressure since the government announced that 2026 will be the start of its 'Family Decade.' This repression has drawn criticism from both opposition parties and the European Union.
Nacho Sanchez Amor, the European Parliament rapporteur on Turkey, characterized these arrests as 'a shocking escalation of repression.'
