Turkish LGBT+ Rights Advocates Launch 'We Want Freedom' Campaign Following Mass Arrests
On September 23, 2026, a coalition of Turkish human rights defenders and community leaders announced the launch of a nationwide advocacy initiative named “We Want Freedom” (Özgürlük İstiyoruz) in response to an unprecedented wave of police raids, website blocks, and court-ordered arrests targeting the country’s LGBT+ community. As reported by independent Turkish news outlet Bianet , the campaign adopted the slogan “Everywhere is a prison, we want freedom” (Her yer zindan, özgürlük istiyoruz), urging the immediate release of all detained individuals, an end to digital censorship, and a halt to institutional pressure on civil society.
The mobilization follows a sweeping interprovincial police crackdown launched on September 12 under the official title “My Family is Safe” (Ailem Güvende). According to data compiled by the campaign group, legal proceedings have spanned 15 provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Mersin, and Aydın, initiating judicial actions against 162 individuals, nine non-profit associations, and 13 commercial venues. To date, courts have remanded 82 people in custody—including 20 in Istanbul, 28 in Mersin, 16 in Izmir, 13 in Ankara, and five in Aydın. Those imprisoned include association executives, journalists, lawyers, and transgender women. During spontaneous public demonstrations protesting the raids, police detained approximately 130 additional demonstrators.
Responding to the government’s framing of the crackdown as “My Family is Safe,” the coalition put forward the counter-thesis: “Our family is safe only if all of us are safe” (Hepimiz güvendeysek ailemiz güvende). In their declaration, activists stressed that genuine security cannot be reduced to conservative family rhetoric and must instead encompass protection from violence, safe housing, stable employment, and equal access to healthcare free from discrimination. Human rights defenders highlighted that the targeted organizations provide crucial legal and psychosocial counseling, crisis intervention, and vital HIV health services, warning that shutting them down devastates community support networks. The coalition also appealed to journalists and newsrooms to report objectively on judicial hearings and prison conditions while refraining from treating unproven state allegations as established facts.
Meanwhile, Turkish authorities maintain that the operations are lawful and necessary. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared that the sweep aims to “protect the institution of the family, children, and public order,” as well as to curb unauthorized foreign funding of non-governmental groups. Conversely, representatives from the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and international human rights coalitions across 65 nations have condemned the operation as a coordinated assault on fundamental freedoms of speech and association.
Uránia has previously covered the launch of the “My Family is Safe” police operation and digital blackouts of leading Turkish LGBT+ portals , President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent address to the UN General Assembly criticizing “global degenderization” , and systematic administrative bans on pride events across Turkish provinces .
