Turkish police detain Kaos GL executives in obscenity probe

September 13, 2026 at 11:32 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Turkish police detained board and audit members of LGBT rights group Kaos GL on September 12, 2026, in an obscenity investigation led by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The probe cites content on the association's website and social media accounts, and a court ordered seizure of digital devices. The same day, an Istanbul court blocked access to websites of Kaos GL and several other LGBT organizations.

Key Facts

Ankara 4th Criminal Judgeship of Peace authorized the seizure of digital devices belonging to Kaos GL suspects on September 11, 2026.
The investigation cites content published on Kaos GL's corporate website and social media accounts as grounds for obscenity charges under Turkish Penal Code Article 226.
Istanbul 7th Criminal Judgeship of Peace blocked access to websites of Kaos GL, 17 Mayıs Derneği, ÜniKuir, Pembe Hayat, SPoD, Genç LGBTİ+ Derneği, Lambdaistanbul, Muamma LGBTİ+ and Velvele on September 12, 2026.
Simultaneous raids in Istanbul targeted nightclubs and massage parlors in Beyoğlu and Şişli, including Taksim, Cihangir and İstiklal Avenue.

The Ankara Operation

Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched the investigation into Kaos GL under Turkish Penal Code Article 226 on obscenity. The court decision dated September 11, 2026, alleged that obscene content was published on Kaos GL's website and social media accounts in a manner visible to children. The prosecutor also requested an evaluation for violation of the Associations Law, citing that the content was published through the association's corporate pages. The judgeship authorized seizure of evidence, photos and printed materials, and examination of suspects' computers, phones, tablets, portable storage, CDs, DVDs and other digital materials. If passwords cannot be decrypted or data cannot be accessed, the court allowed seizure of the devices.

Istanbul Raids and Access Blocks

Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office coordinated simultaneous raids on multiple addresses in Beyoğlu and Şişli, including nightclubs and massage parlors on Taksim, Cihangir and İstiklal Avenue. The investigation document for the Kaos GL operation also mentioned the Istanbul operation, according to Kaos GL's news report. On September 12, 2026, Istanbul 7th Criminal Judgeship of Peace issued decision 2026/9559 blocking access to websites and social media accounts of Kaos GL and numerous other LGBT organizations and activists. Blocked sites included Kaos GL, 17 Mayıs Derneği, ÜniKuir, Pembe Hayat Derneği, SPoD, Genç LGBTİ+ Derneği, Lambdaistanbul, Muamma LGBTİ+ and Velvele.