The ‘internal enemy’ policy

Sarya Toprak

Despite differences in methods and targets, a similar political mechanism is at work in countries experiencing a growing authoritarianism. A section of society is labelled a ‘threat’; an ‘internal enemy’ is created, independent of economic and social problems; and subsequently, the rights of this group are called into question through concepts such as ‘family’, ‘child protection’, ‘public morality’ or ‘national values’. In recent years, one of the main targets of this policy has been the LGBTI+ community.

ILGA-Europe’s 2026 Annual Review highlights how propaganda, scapegoating and disinformation targeting LGBTI+ people in Europe and Central Asia are increasingly being combined with criminalisation, bans on organisation and restrictions on fundamental rights. The organisation notes that the tools of repression previously used against LGBTI+ people have, over time, become part of ‘authoritarian governance’ practices that restrict broader opposition and the civil society space.

In Turkey, a process that had long been characterised by bans on Pride Marches, legal proceedings against LGBTI+ organisations, access restrictions and investigations on grounds of ‘obscenity’ escalated into large-scale operations in September. Between 12 and 14 September, seven organisations working in the field of LGBTI+ rights, two organisations supporting people living with HIV, and various businesses were targeted in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydın and Mersin. Eighty-two people were arrested.

THE CRACKDOWN REACHED PEOPLE’S HOMES

One of the final stages of the operations took place on the night of 26 September on Bayram Street in Beyoğlu, Istanbul. During police raids on homes where trans women lived, 12 trans women were taken into custody. Following the detention process, which was monitored by lawyers, the women were released in the early hours of the morning.

A Trans Pride Week volunteer, commenting on the latest raid to BirGün, objects to the events being framed solely in terms of sex work. The volunteer states that trans women’s living and housing spaces have become direct targets, arguing that the issue is the criminalisation of trans existence: ‘Trans women who are sex workers also have equal rights as citizens.’ The volunteer also points out that establishing an automatic link between trans women and sex work serves to perpetuate the oppression. She explains that, regardless of whether a person engages in sex work or not, simply living as an openly trans woman can become a subject of surveillance and criminalisation.

WE ARE CONCERNED

The volunteer, noting that the anxiety caused by the raids persists, draws particular attention to the conditions faced by detained LGBTI+ individuals in prisons: ‘We are not worried about our friends being imprisoned, but about what might happen to them whilst in prison.’ The volunteer reports that detained LGBTI+ individuals face serious issues regarding solitary confinement, access to clean water and food, and discrimination. According to a Trans Pride Week volunteer, viewing the events on Bayram Street solely through the lens of a specific street or sex work obscures the bigger picture: “We must not frame this solely in terms of Bayram Street. We need to talk about housing.”

EVERYWHERE IS A PRISON, WE WANT FREEDOM

Following the raids that began on 12 September, LGBTI+ rights campaigners came together under the name ‘We Want Freedom’ Campaign Group.

Announced on 23 September under the slogan ‘Everywhere is a prison, we want freedom’, the campaign aims to strengthen solidarity with those arrested, amplify the voices of targeted LGBTI+ organisations, and keep the public informed about developments regarding the raids. Yıldız Tar, Editor-in-Chief of Kaos GL, stated in an interview with BirGün that the campaign cannot be viewed in isolation from the economic crisis and deepening poverty. Tar argued that the regime is attempting to cover up real social problems by singling out LGBTI+ people: “We launched this campaign to say ‘enough is enough’ to the regime’s practice of making LGBTI+ people a scapegoat to cover up the economic crisis it has created, the deepening poverty and the unpaid bills.” “We have launched a struggle for survival and dignity against the hate campaigns carried out under the banner of ‘My Family is Safe’, and against the arrest and detention of our friends from their homes on the basis of fabricated charges of ‘public morality’ and ‘obscenity’.”

Tar, reacting to the portrayal of LGBTI+ people as “pawns of foreign powers” or “destroyers of the family”, also drew attention to the targeting of solidarity networks.

Tar said, “We set out to prevent our lives from being stolen by fabricated hostilities, to tear down the wall of hatred and to tell the truth in the language of the streets.”

Tar noted that one of the campaign’s key demands is the release of LGBTI+ individuals arrested during the raids, adding:

We demand the immediate release of all LGBTI+ individuals. We call for an immediate end to the witch-hunt that criminalises LGBTI+ existence, deprives people of their fundamental rights and turns the entire country into a prison, as well as to the unjust raids carried out under the pretext of ‘obscenity’.” Tar argued that the repression against LGBTI+ people should not be treated separately from human rights violations against other sections of society, and called on trade unions, rights organisations and political parties to show solidarity: ‘This siege is directed not only at LGBTI+ people, but at all the oppressed. We can only dispel the organised hatred we face by standing shoulder to shoulder, not by remaining on the defensive.’ We must strengthen our solidarity. If one of us is not free, none of us are; we call on everyone to stand side by side and declare: ‘Everywhere is a prison; we want freedom!’

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled ‘İç düşman’ siyaseti, published in BirGün newspaper on September 29, 2026.