Activists Say Erdoğan's LGBTQ Crackdown Marks Start of 2028 Election Campaign

Coordinated police raids in mid-September on LGBTQ rights groups, HIV-support associations, bars and nightclubs across Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Aydın and Mersin — part of a campaign dubbed 'Ailem Güvende' ('My Family Is Safe') — led to at least 112 arrests, with 82 still detained under court order. Turkish LGBTQ activist Yıldız Tar said the operation, framed by officials as protecting 'children and the institution of the family' under Erdoğan's 'Decade of Family and Population' initiative, marks the opening step of his 2028 re-election campaign; Human Rights Watch said the crackdown 'strikes at the rule of law.'