Turkish police detain dozens of trans women in coordinated raids across seven cities
On Oct 24, police in seven Turkish cities detained 45 people, most of them trans women, in simultaneous raids linked to an investigation by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Simultaneous police raids on Oct 24 in Ankara, Diyarbakır, Mardin, Çankırı, İstanbul, Bolu and Antalya resulted in the detention of 45 individuals, the majority of whom are trans women. The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office justified the action by citing social-media posts that it described as contrary to public morality, targeting families and children, and encouraging gender-neutralization, labeling the conduct as obscenity.
The operations were executed by the vice units of each city’s police and the Morality Bureau of the Public Order Branch of the Ankara Provincial Police Department. Legal groups including Pembe Hayat, Red Umbrella, Kaos GL and ÜniKuir are overseeing the legal process. This sweep is part of a larger “My Family Is Safe” campaign that has seen numerous LGBTI+ activists detained and online platforms blocked, prompting criticism that obscenity laws are being used to suppress the community.
Why it matters
The raids illustrate how Turkey is using obscenity laws to target and suppress LGBTI+ activists, raising concerns about human rights and freedom of expression.
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