Turkish court jails 16 in Izmir after raids on LGBTQ+ groups

ANKARA, Sept 14 (Reuters) – A Turkish court ordered the detention of 16 people pending trial in the western province of Izmir as part of a government campaign that has included sweeping raids on LGBTQ+ associations, a prosecutor’s office said on Monday.

The chief prosecutor’s office in the western province of Izmir said 18 suspects had been detained under the “My Family is Safe” operation, with 16 of them ordered to be remanded in jail and the other two placed under judicial supervision.

A group protesting the raids and detentions scuffled with police in Izmir on Monday, and the police used pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

The group marched in downtown Izmir earlier, chanting slogans in support of LGBTQ+ individuals. They were later surrounded by police, who told the group to end their protest and disperse, leading to arguments and scuffles.

Police did not allow pro-LGBTQ+ signs and flags during the demonstration and some people were affected by pepper spray used by police to disperse the group.

Justice Minister AkinGurlek said on Sunday the investigations, coordinated by prosecutors in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir,Aydin and Mersin, involved 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses across 15 provinces.

The government says the operation is aimed at protecting children and family values. Authorities detained 26 people in Istanbul and 21 in Ankara over the weekend and raided the offices of several LGBTQ+ associations.

Rights groups accuse the government of increasingly targeting the LGBTQ+ community through rhetoric, restrictions and legal measures.

The Turkish Human Rights Association described the operation as “state-led discrimination, politics of fear and the dismantling of civil society”.

Nacho SanchezAmor, the European Parliament’s Turkey rapporteur, called the arrests “a shocking escalation” of repression.

Prosecutors have said the investigations cover alleged offences including prostitution and obscenity, and that children and minors were being inappropriately influenced on issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity.

The operation comes as President Tayyip Erdogan promotes a “Decade of Family and Population” aimed at tackling falling birth rates and an ageing demographic.

In an official circular released on Monday, the Justice Ministry also instructed all prosecutors to promptly assess reports of obscene and criminal activities targeting children and young people, immediately secure digital evidence, and, where necessary, seek access blocks on online content.

Turkish authorities also banned access to websites and social media accounts of various LGBTQ+ associations, individuals and independent media outlets including the X account of Amnesty International’s Turkey branch.

(Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Daren Butler and Alex Richardson)