At least 80 detained in LGBT+ operation across 5 cities; lawyer: evidence sought after arrest

At least 86 people are being detained across Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Mersin, and Kusadasi as part of operations conducted under the name 'My Family is Safe'; İdil Arslanbaş, a lawyer with the May 17 Society, provided the city-by-city breakdown to Bianet.

The number of detainees by city is as follows: 20 people in Istanbul, including 9 activists; in Ankara, 7 members of Kaos GL along with 8 others including journalist Tuğba Tekerek, and separately 5 trans women; 18 trans women in Izmir; 23 trans women in Mersin; and 5 people in Kusadasi. Appeals against detention were rejected; only one person in Izmir was released during the appeals process. An indictment was prepared in only one of the five investigations—the file of 5 trans women in Ankara; the first hearing is scheduled for November 12.

Arslanbaş linked the delays in indictments to the logic of the operation. According to the lawyer, in these files "individuals were targeted first, then crimes and evidence were sought," and as a result there is no concrete evidence at hand. According to the lawyer, the continuation of detention has shifted from being an exceptional measure to becoming a form of direct punishment. It is also reported that rights violations are occurring due to access to health services in prisons, housing conditions, and treatment of transgender detainees.