Turkey police detain dozens at LGBTQ+ Pride event in Istanbul
Key takeaways
- Turkish police on Sunday detained at least 50 people, including a journalist, during a LGBTQ+ Pride event in Istanbul that went ahead despite a ban by local authorities.
- By: FRANCE 24 People run from the police during a march in support of transgender people and their rights during the LGBTQ Pride week, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, June 21, 2026.
- Police stepped up security around Istanbul's iconic Taksim Square, erecting iron barriers, while local officials banned demonstrations in key rallying areas, including the Asian-side district of Kadikoy.
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Turkish police on Sunday detained at least 50 people, including a journalist, during a LGBTQ+ Pride event in Istanbul that went ahead despite a ban by local authorities. Homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey, but since 2015, the annual Pride march has been almost systematically banned and suppressed.
By: FRANCE 24 People run from the police during a march in support of transgender people and their rights during the LGBTQ Pride week, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, June 21, 2026. The placard reads in colloquial Turkish: "What's forbidden. Come on!". © Dilara Acikgoz, AP Turkish police on Sunday detained at least 50 people, including a journalist, during a Gay Pride event in Istanbul that went ahead despite a ban by local authorities and the lockdown of the city's main gathering point, organisers said.
Police stepped up security around Istanbul's iconic Taksim Square, erecting iron barriers, while local officials banned demonstrations in key rallying areas, including the Asian-side district of Kadikoy. The governor's office also restricted subway transport in several central locations.