Over 50 Detained at Istanbul Pride as Crackdown on LGBTQ+ Community Continues

A person is detained by Turkish police officers as he tries to gather with others to celebrate the annual LGBTQ+ Pride March, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, June 29, 2025

Turkish authorities detained more than 50 individuals on Sunday during attempts to hold Istanbul Pride, as the government’s decade-long suppression of the LGBTQ+ event continued with renewed intensity.

A heavy police presence was deployed throughout central Istanbul, blocking key streets and disrupting efforts to gather for the annual Pride march. Organizers were forced to alter assembly locations multiple times in an attempt to evade the cordons, but were met with swift detentions and dispersals.

According to Yildiz Tar, editor-in-chief of the LGBTQ+ rights organization and journal Kaos GL, 54 individuals were detained in connection with Istanbul Pride, including six lawyers. By Sunday evening, seven had been released, while 47 remained in custody. Among those arrested were at least three journalists, according to the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DISK).

Kezban Konukcu, a Member of Parliament from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), attended the demonstration and condemned the detentions. “The palace regime will not be able to stay in power by demonizing the LGBTQ community,” she said.

A person is detained by Turkish police officers during the annual LGBTQ+ Pride March, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, June 29, 2025.

Istanbul Pride, once a vibrant event drawing tens of thousands of attendees from across Turkey and abroad, has been officially banned since 2015. The crackdown began under the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has increasingly appealed to religious and conservative voters by taking a hardline stance on LGBTQ+ rights and visibility.

Despite bans and escalating police enforcement, members of the LGBTQ+ community and their supporters continue to attempt to mark Pride with peaceful gatherings and calls for equal rights. However, these actions are frequently met with mass detentions, surveillance, and intimidation.

Sunday’s arrests are the latest in a series of government actions aimed at suppressing LGBTQ+ expression and curtailing civil liberties in the name of public order and traditional values. Human rights advocates have repeatedly warned that the targeting of LGBTQ+ groups is part of a broader erosion of freedoms in Turkey.

Legal proceedings and detainment conditions for those arrested on Sunday are still being monitored by rights groups and legal observers.