# Turkey’s oldest LGBTQ+ group has office closed as crackdown continues

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/turkeys-oldest-lgbtq-group-has-office-closed-as-crackdown-continues/
- Published: 2026-11-12T15:50:22+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T16:36:36+00:00
- Original publisher: Middle East Eye (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-oldest-lgbtq-group-office-closed-crackdown-continues
- Topics: Space, Technology, World

## Key points

- Authorities sealed Lambda Istanbul’s office.
- Prosecutors have also targeted Hevi LGBTI+.
- More than 80 people remain jailed pending trial.

## Summary

Turkey’s oldest LGBTQ+ organisation, Lambda Istanbul, says authorities have sealed its office in Istanbul, describing the move as an attempt to restrict the community’s ability to organise. The closure is part of a wider crackdown on LGBTQ+ groups and related organisations, despite homosexuality not being illegal in Turkey.

The Istanbul Governor’s Office said the premises were an “unauthorised social club”. Founded in 1993, Lambda Istanbul opened its office in 2002 and registered as an association in 2006. Separately, prosecutors have sought to end Hevi LGBTI+’s activities and prosecute five founding members; the article also reports more than 80 people formally arrested and awaiting trial in recent months.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.