The Turkish government has arrested several individuals and blocked many related social media accounts in its recent operations against LGBTQ+ activists and organizations over the weekend. These actions, carried out under the title of the "Family and Population Decade" plan, have faced severe criticism from human rights groups and international organizations.
Details of the operation and reactions
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, announced this operation as part of a national strategy to combat the sharp decline in birth rates in the country. This action clearly refers to the government's efforts to promote traditional and conservative family views. In a statement released by several women's groups, it was emphasized that the freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and protection of privacy should also include LGBTQ+ individuals. They stated that the suppression of these individuals' identities and rights is part of authoritarian policies.
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Yıldız Tağızade, the communications officer at the "Women for Human Rights" (WWHR) organization, stated that the government is trying to criminalize the LGBTQ+ community, a process that began several years ago. She added, "The goal is not only to target LGBTQ+ individuals but to effectively ban this community's participation in politics and rights."
Criticism and consequences
Various other groups have also strongly criticized the government's actions. The Turkish Medical Association has called these actions a violation of human rights and demanded an end to discriminatory policies. According to them, it is unacceptable for gender identity and sexual orientation to be treated as a crime and for people to be taken from their homes at night. Erkan Baş, the head of the Workers' Party of Turkey, called for the immediate release of those arrested, adding that the existence of LGBTQ+ individuals is never a crime.
This operation took place on Sunday in the cities of Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. During this time, a large number of websites and social media accounts belonging to LGBTQ+ groups and activists were blocked. On the day of the operation, 32 other accounts were suspended, and the next day the number of blocked accounts exceeded 100.
The accounts affected by these actions included well-known organizations such as Amnesty International Turkey, the leftist newspaper Evrensel, and the human rights group Kaos GL. The legal justification for these actions was a ruling from an Istanbul court announced on September 13.
The Turkish Ministry of Justice has also aggressively attacked LGBTQ+ organizations, accusing them of promoting corruption. While same-sex relations are not a crime in Turkey, the government has repeatedly portrayed the LGBTQ+ community as a movement of "deviation."
The European Union has also expressed concern over these crackdowns and emphasized the need to respect human rights in Turkey. European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand reminded that Turkey, as a candidate country for EU membership, must respect the rights and dignity of all individuals.
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