Police detained 45 people, most of them trans women, in simultaneous raids across seven cities on Oct 24 as part of an investigation coordinated by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, Kaos GL reported.
The raids were carried out in Ankara, Diyarbakır, Mardin, Çankırı, İstanbul, Bolu and Antalya by the vice units of the respective police organizations.
The prosecutor’s office said social media posts by those detained contained material that was “contrary to public morality, targeting families, children and young people or harming their development, encouraging gender-neutralization and disrupting public order.”
Those detained were primarily accused of “obscenity.”
Explained: Turkey's 'My Family Is Safe' operations
Lawyers from the Pembe Hayat, Red Umbrella, Kaos GL and ÜniKuir associations are monitoring the legal proceedings.
The raids follow a widespread crackdown against the LBGTI+ movement last month dubbed as "My Family Is Safe" operations. The crackdown resulted in detentions and the blocking on hundreds of social media accounts and websites belonging to LGBTI+ groups and activists. Eighty-two individuals were jailed pending trial, most of them facing obscenity charges.
While obscenity law has historically applied to explicit content, it has recently become grounds to investigate LGBTI+ activists.
Lawyers say prolonged detention of LGBTI+ activists has become 'de facto hostage-taking'
How Turkey’s vague obscenity law is becoming a tool to criminalize LGBTI+ visibility
'Stop inventing crimes'
The We Want Freedom Campaign, formed after last month's crackdown, condemned the raids in a written statement, demanding the release of all detainees:
Trans women targeted in new Ankara-led operation: Stop inventing crimes!
As we continue demanding freedom for our friends imprisoned during the “My Family Is Safe” operations carried out on the dark anniversary of September 12, we woke up today to another operation coordinated from Ankara.
In simultaneous operations coordinated from Ankara and extending to Diyarbakır, Mardin, Çankırı, İstanbul, Bolu and Antalya, 45 people, most of them trans women, were detained.
The language used in the statement issued by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding this operation, which is also being monitored by lawyers from the Pembe Hayat, Red Umbrella, Kaos GL and ÜniKuir associations in Ankara, clearly reveals the intention behind it.
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office claimed that the operation, conducted by the Morality Bureau of the Public Order Branch of the Ankara Provincial Police Department, was justified by the social media posts of those detained, alleging that these posts contained material that was “contrary to public morality, targeting families, children and young people or harming their development, encouraging gender-neutralization and disrupting public order.”
The phrase “encouraging gender-neutralization” in this statement refers to a non-existent crime. Just as in the “My Family Is Safe” operation, trans women are being targeted on the basis of an offence that does not exist.
The Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office statement makes clear that those detained are being accused of “obscenity,” an allegation that has now become a pretext for repressing and imprisoning society as a whole, particularly LGBTI+ people.
As in previous operations, we suspect that the virtual patrol practice was also used in this operation. However, we would like to remind everyone: The virtual patrol practice is unlawful!
In its ruling dated February 19, 2020, the Constitutional Court annulled the provision granting police the authority to conduct virtual patrols, finding that the provision allowing police to carry out general “virtual patrol” activities online was unconstitutional.
In its ruling, the Court emphasized that the regulation was incompatible with the requirements of a democratic society, that personal data is protected under the Constitution, and that police may conduct investigations into specific individuals only upon instructions from prosecutors.
We will continue reporting developments concerning the operation and demanding freedom…
Our trans existence, which they seek to criminalize, is not a crime! Everywhere is a prison; we want freedom!
(EMK/VK)