Nine trans women arrested in Ankara-led police operations!

The full statement reads as follows:

On 23 October 2026, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that an investigation was being conducted into 54 people on allegations of “obscenity” and “prostitution” in connection with social media posts, and that 45 people had been detained in an Ankara-centered operation spanning seven provinces. Those detained include 12 trans women, alongside numerous others whose homes were raided over allegations of obscenity and sex work. In justifying the operation, the Prosecutor’s Office claimed that the posts in question were “contrary to public morals,” targeted families, children and young people, and would “encourage genderlessness.” 9 trans women were arrested and sent to prison.

This is not the first time. During the “Ailem Güvende” (“My Family Is Safe”) operations that began on 12 September 2026, LGBTI+ organisations, activists, journalists and human rights defenders were targeted, with many people detained and subsequently placed and remain in pretrial detention. The indictment drawn up on 30 September against five trans women placed in pretrial detention in Ankara went so far as to claim that their social media posts created the perception that people could choose their gender. Trans people’s gender identities and forms of expression were thus themselves used as grounds for criminal allegations.

We ask: What is “genderlessness”? Under which law is it defined, and what criminal offence does it constitute? On what concrete grounds are trans people’s existence, bodies or social media posts being portrayed as a threat to families, children and public order?

There is no criminal offence defined as “genderlessness.” Gender identity, sexual orientation, living outside gender norms and freely expressing one’s identity are not crimes. The rhetoric of “genderlessness” used in the 23 October operation cannot be viewed in isolation from the language of the 30 September indictment or the attacks that began on 12 September. It demonstrates how policies that frame LGBTI+ people’s existence in society as a threat and suppress their visibility and organising are being translated into judicial proceedings. The particular targeting of trans people and sex workers in this process is no coincidence.. For years, trans people in Türkiye have been increasingly  facing systematic discrimination in access to education, justice, employment, housing and healthcare.

Under Article 38 of the Constitution, no one may be punished for an act that is not defined as a criminal offence by law. Article 226 of the Turkish Penal Code sets out specific offences relating to obscenity, while Article 227 covers acts such as encouraging, facilitating or acting as an intermediary for prostitution, as well as disseminating certain content for these purposes. Sex work itself is not a criminal offence. These provisions cannot serve as grounds for criminalising trans identity or LGBTI+ visibility. Every criminal allegation must be based on specific acts defined by law and lawfully obtained evidence. The very policies that deny trans people secure living conditions are now targeting their bodies and livelihoods. Operations carried out on allegations of sex work risk deepening discrimination, exacerbating poverty and increasing vulnerability to violence. Subjecting social media posts to surveillance and criminal investigation also threatens freedom of expression and the right to privacy.

The systematic use of social media posts as grounds for investigation also raises serious concerns about digital surveillance and freedom of expression. In light of the Constitutional Court’s annulment of the provision granting the police broad powers to conduct online investigations, the authorities must publicly disclose which methods have been used in these investigations and under what legal authority. Digital spaces must not be turned into places where LGBTI+ people are tracked, profiled and punished for their identities.

In response to the targeting of LGBTI+ people under the rhetoric of “protecting the family,” we once again remind: LGBTI+ people pose no threat to families, children, young people or society. Public safety is secured not by suppressing diverse identities and ways of life, but by tackling violence, discrimination, poverty and inequality. No group’s safety can be built on the denial of another’s fundamental rights.

We call everyone who stands for equality, freedom, human dignity, conscience and the rule of law. The criminalisation of trans people’s bodies and lives is not an issue for trans people alone. The repression of LGBTI+ organisations is not an issue for the LGBTI+ movement alone. The erosion of freedom of expression, the right to organise and legal protections concerns the future of everyone who wants to live in equality and freedom in this country.

As LGBTI+ organisations, we see the operations that have continued since 12 September as part of policies that aim to repress the LGBTI+ movement and restrict freedom of association and expression.

Our demands are clear: Discriminatory and arbitrary practices targeting LGBTI+ people, trans people, sex workers and human rights defenders must end. Our friends who have been deprived of their liberty for exercising their rights must be released. Investigations must comply with fundamental principles of law; the lawfulness of police custody and pretrial detention must be subject to judicial scrutiny, and the legal grounds for digital surveillance must be disclosed. Everyone’s right to live safely and on equal terms, free from discrimination and violence, must be protected.

As LGBTI+ organisations, we reaffirm once again:

We will continue to stand with trans people, sex workers, our friends held in police custody and pretrial detention, human rights defenders and all LGBTI+ people, and to fight together against injustice and unlawful practices.

They cannot erase us through intimidation, silence or invisibility!

Our existence is not a crime. Our rights are not up for debate!

We are here, we stand together, and we are not going anywhere!

Signatories: 17 May Association, 20 November Association, Ankara Rainbow Families Association (GALADER), Young LGBTI+ Association, HEVİ LGBTI+ Association, Kaos GL Association, Red Umbrella Association, Lambdaistanbul LGBTI+ Solidarity Association, LİSTAG Association of Families and Relatives of LGBTI+ People, Pink Life LGBTI+ Solidarity Association, Muamma LGBTI+ Association, Mersin 7 Colors Association, Free Colors Association, Social Policy, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD), ÜniKuir Association.