Riot police ringed Istanbul's sprawling Çağlayan courthouse on Tuesday and hauled off dozens of demonstrators who had gathered to demand the release of LGBTQ+ activists swept up in a nationwide crackdown just days earlier, according to the Associated Press.

The protest came hours after a court ordered at least 31 people jailed pending trial as part of the investigation, part of a sweeping operation Turkish officials have branded "My Family Is Safe." The campaign, which began with predawn raids on Sept. 13, has ensnared 162 suspects, nine LGBTQ+ organizations and 13 businesses across 15 provinces, from Istanbul and Ankara to Izmir and Mersin.

"Not a Crime to Exist"

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek has defended the sweep as necessary to "protect children, the institution of the family, and public order," framing it as part of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's push to reverse Turkey's falling birth rate. Erdoğan has previously described LGBTQ+ people as a "deviant movement" of "perverts."

Activists on the ground reject that framing entirely. As France 24 reported, activist Feride Eralp told demonstrators outside the courthouse that "neither LGBTQ organisations nor individuals can be treated as criminals," while another protester insisted the detainees "have not committed any crime simply by being who they are."

"Mere references to 'family values' or 'protection of children' cannot serve as legal justification for human rights restrictions." — Michael O'Flaherty, Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner

The Council of Europe's human rights commissioner has formally called for the detained activists' release, and the European Commission voiced concern earlier this week, urging Ankara — a long-stalled EU membership candidate — to respect human rights regardless of "gender identity or sexual orientation." A European Parliament rapporteur on Turkey went further, calling the raids "a shocking escalation" of the government's repression, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Turkey has banned Istanbul's Pride march since 2015, but rights groups say this week's operation marks a sharp widening of the state's targets — reaching beyond public demonstrations into private homes, HIV-support groups and the digital footprint of LGBTQ+ organizations, whose websites and social media accounts were ordered blocked by an Istanbul court just before the raids began.

With more court dates expected in the coming days, both sides are bracing for further confrontation: prosecutors have signaled the campaign will continue, while activists and opposition figures — including Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM party — warn the crackdown risks poisoning the country's fragile domestic peace efforts.