Turkish authorities have arrested LGBTQ+ activists, journalists and opposition figures as the government moves to introduce tougher laws restricting gender recognition and public expression of LGBTQ+ identities. The operation was carried out across 10 provinces following detention warrants issued for 60 people, according to Turkish rights groups and local media reports.

According to AFP, the crackdown includes the February arrest of Kaos GL editor-in-chief Yıldız Tar and 29 others after 52 people were detained in an operation targeting members of the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK). The arrests came as Turkey’s government prepared proposed amendments to its Civil and Penal Codes under its 2025 “Year of the Family” programme.

A leaked draft obtained by Kaos GL proposed raising the minimum age for legal gender recognition to 21 and requiring extensive medical documentation, while also seeking to reintroduce sterilisation requirements that had previously been struck down by Turkey’s Constitutional Court. The proposed legislation also criminalise publicly encouraging, praising or promoting conduct considered contrary to biological sex and public morality, with offenders potentially facing up to three years in prison. LGBTQ+ rights advocates warned that the provision could be used against people discussing or publicly expressing LGBTQ+ identities.

Kaos GL said Tar was among those detained during the February 18 operation and was later arrested. The organisation said meetings with women’s rights defenders and LGBTQ+ activists were cited during the investigation, while Tar maintained that journalistic work should not be treated as a crime. The wider operation targeted members and supporters of the HDK, a coalition bringing together left-wing and pro-Kurdish political groups. Turkish authorities have accused the organisation of links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, while opposition groups and rights organisations have rejected the arrests and criticised the investigation.

ILGA-Europe Advocacy Director Katrin Hugendubel said the proposed measures came as Turkish authorities were increasing pressure on LGBTQ+ people, civil society groups, journalists and opposition politicians. She argued that the proposals conflict with international human rights standards and would further restrict freedom of expression.

Turkey has also continued to restrict LGBTQ+ Pride events. Authorities have banned Istanbul’s Pride march since 2015, with police repeatedly detaining participants who attempt to defy the restrictions. In 2025, authorities again blocked the annual march and detained more than 50 people, according to rights groups and international monitoring organisations. The latest measures have increased concerns among LGBTQ+ rights groups that Turkey could move from restricting public events to imposing criminal penalties on forms of LGBTQ+ expression. The proposed amendments remain part of the government’s broader family-policy programme, while legal and political challenges to the crackdown continue.