Anti-LGBTI+ crackdown: Detention extended for 109 protesters amid ill-treatment allegations

Authorities have extended the detention of 109 people by 24 hours after they were taken into custody yesterday during a protest outside the İstanbul Courthouse against operations targeting LGBTI+s.

BirGün reporter Sarya Toprak, German ARD TV reporter Şener Azak and lawyers were among the detained. Azak was later released.

The detainees were divided into three groups and taken to police facilities on Vatan Avenue, in Gayrettepe and in Küçükçekmece. Their police statements were completed in the morning, and authorities were awaiting instructions from the prosecutor on whether they would be transferred to the courthouse today.

Lawyer alleges ill-treatment

Lawyer Serhat Alan said the detention process had been carried out through “unlawful practices” from beginning to end:

“In addition to disregarding the procedures stipulated under Law No. 2911, rulings by the Constitutional Court and the ECtHR concerning the right to assembly and demonstration were also ignored.

“More seriously, everyone detained was subjected by law enforcement to various forms of torture and ill-treatment. These practices included keeping people handcuffed behind their backs for hours, insults, physical assault, discriminatory treatment and attempts to force them to undergo medical examinations in the presence of police officers.”

Police allegedly pressed detainees to retract torture allegations

Alan said the detainees were transferred to different police facilities because of insufficient capacity:

“From the moment the first detention took place, we as lawyers were monitoring the process both at the scene and at the police station,” he said. “We were prevented from meeting with the detainees for more than 12 hours.”

“The statements were completed at around 7 am today. During the process, police in Gayrettepe attempted to prevent allegations of torture from being included in the statements. Because the detention period had expired and, according to the prosecutor’s office, procedures had not been completed, the detention period was extended by another 24 hours as required by procedure.”

What happened?

The protest followed the Sep 13 operations targeting LGBTI+s dubbed as “My Family Is Safe.”

As part of the operations, police raided the homes of executive and supervisory board members of the Kaos GL Association, including alternate members, and detained them. Officers also searched the association’s office and seized digital materials. Other LGBTI+ associations and bars frequented by queer people were also targeted in he raids.

While Turkey’s LGBTI+ community has faced growing political pressure in recent years, the latest operations are unprecedented in their scale and legal scope. Authorities are investigating LGBTI+s on “obscenity” allegations, an offense whose application has recently expanded beyond sexually explicit material to include non-explicit content and verbal statements. During police questioning, detainees were asked about images they had published, including photographs showing two men or two women kissing.

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said legal proceedings had been initiated against 162 people, nine associations and 13 businesses as part of the operations. (FY/VK)