Seven arrested after raid on LGBT bar in Turkey’s capital

A court in the Turkish capital, Ankara, remanded the owner, manager and five employees of Sixtiees Pub, a venue frequented by LGBT people, in custody on 27 July. The decision followed a police search in the Çankaya district on 25 July; prosecutors are investigating alleged “obscene” acts and the provision of a place and facilities for prostitution.

According to Bianet , the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said it opened the investigation after complaints to the state-run CİMER system, witness statements, open-source research and posts on the venue’s social-media accounts. Ankara’s 1st Criminal Judgeship of Peace authorised the search and seizure. Habertürk, citing the DHA news agency , reported that those detained were the bar’s owner, its responsible manager and five employees.

Prosecutors allege that the venue hosted sexually explicit performances, physical sexual acts and acts of exposure, and that its management provided the premises and opportunity for them. Investigators also said they found dance videos on the manager’s phone that they considered obscene, together with evidence that the videos were later posted on the bar’s account. These are the prosecution’s allegations; the reports reviewed did not include responses from the detainees or their lawyers.

The suspects were referred to court under Article 226(2) and Article 227(2) of Turkey’s Penal Code, covering the distribution of obscene material and facilitating prostitution, T24 reported . Pretrial detention is a measure pending the investigation and is not a finding of guilt. Bianet also noted that some pro-government outlets framed the operation as a crackdown on LGBT people and used derogatory language; the prosecutor’s official account tied the case to alleged acts at a specific venue.