UN Experts Urge Turkey to End Operation Against LGBT Organizations
Independent UN experts called on Turkey to end its “My Family Is Safe” operation against LGBT organizations and human rights defenders in a statement issued in Geneva on October 13, 2026. Their joint statement on the OHCHR website criticized criminal, administrative and financial measures that, in their assessment, restrict freedom of expression and association.
According to information cited by the experts, at least 44 human rights defenders had reportedly been detained or arrested since September 12. The statement also describes searches of homes and offices, seizures of digital equipment and the blocking of websites and accounts belonging to LGBT people and organizations. These details are presented as reports received by the experts.
The authors demanded the release of people detained solely for legitimate human rights work and access to lawyers, medication and healthcare for detainees. They also called for investigations without a clear legal basis to end, for equipment not demonstrably needed for lawful investigations to be returned, and for digital restrictions that fail to meet human rights standards to be lifted.
The experts separately stated that Turkish law permits international funding and that receiving it does not in itself constitute evidence of a crime. They expressed concern about reports that financial investigations had revealed donors’ identities, arguing that this violates privacy and could discourage future donations.
The authorities justify the operation as protecting children, families and public order. According to a September 13 report by the state-run Anadolu agency, Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced legal proceedings involving 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses across 15 provinces. He linked the investigations to suspected facilitation of prostitution, distribution of obscene material and children’s exposure to it, as well as scrutiny of overseas transfers. These are the investigating authorities’ allegations, rather than facts established by a court.
The rights organization Human Rights Watch previously reported that the September 12–14 raids targeted seven groups defending LGBT rights and two organizations supporting people living with HIV. It also opposed the targeting of activists and the blocking of online resources.
Signatories include Graeme Reid, the UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The authors serve independently under the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures; their assessments do not necessarily represent the position of the UN as a whole. Erasing 76 Crimes also published the full statement on October 16.
Uránia previously reported on the launch of the operation and the blocking of LGBT online resources in Turkey, including websites and accounts belonging to the rights associations Kaos GL, Pembe Hayat and SPoD.
