Turkish authorities have detained LGBTQ+ activists, journalists and opposition figures in a coordinated operation across 10 provinces as the government advances plans for stricter laws limiting gender recognition and public expression of LGBTQ+ identities.
Detention warrants were issued for 60 people, according to Turkish rights groups and local media. The crackdown follows the February arrest of Kaos GL editor-in-chief Yıldız Tar and 29 others after 52 people were held in a previous operation targeting members of the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK).
The arrests coincide with proposed amendments to Turkey’s Civil and Penal Codes under the government’s 2025 “Year of the Family” programme. A leaked draft obtained by Kaos GL would raise the minimum age for legal gender recognition to 21, require extensive medical documentation and seek to reintroduce sterilisation requirements previously struck down by the Constitutional Court.
The draft would also criminalise publicly encouraging, praising or promoting conduct deemed contrary to biological sex and public morality, with penalties of up to three years in prison. LGBTQ+ rights advocates warned the provision could be used against individuals discussing or expressing LGBTQ+ identities.
Kaos GL said Tar was detained during the February 18 operation and later arrested. The organisation stated that meetings with women’s rights defenders and LGBTQ+ activists were cited in the investigation, while Tar maintained that journalistic work should not be treated as a crime.
The wider operation focused on members and supporters of the HDK, a coalition of left-wing and pro-Kurdish groups. Authorities have accused the organisation of links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, claims rejected by opposition groups and rights organisations.
ILGA-Europe Advocacy Director Katrin Hugendubel said the proposals come as Turkish authorities increase pressure on LGBTQ+ people, civil society, journalists and opposition politicians. She argued that the measures conflict with international human rights standards and would further restrict freedom of expression.
Turkey has banned Istanbul’s Pride march since 2015, with police repeatedly detaining participants. In 2025, authorities again blocked the event and detained more than 50 people, according to rights groups.
