Turkey jails 31 in LGBTQ+ crackdown, detains 126 protesters

Turkish authorities arrested at least 31 people pending trial on Tuesday as part of a government campaign targeting LGBTQ+ groups, while police detained at least 126 people during protests in Ankara and Istanbul against recent raids and arrests, lawyers said.



The arrests marked the latest escalation in what rights groups and opposition figures have described as a widening campaign against the LGBTQ+ community, with authorities over the past week raiding association offices, blocking websites and jailing suspects across multiple provinces.



The latest arrests included five transgender women in Ankara and 26 people in the southern province of Mersin while legal processes continue for others detained, the lawyers said.



Police prevented a group from making a press statement outside an Istanbul courthouse on Tuesday and dispersed pro-LGBTQ+ protesters in the capital Ankara as they attempted to gather.