EU urged to suspend Turkey accession after 241 LGBTQI+ arrests

Human rights NGOs are demanding the European Union suspend Turkey's accession process after 241 LGBTQI+ individuals were arrested since last weekend, with at least 82 placed in pre-trial detention. The arrests, targeting mostly transgender women on charges combining prostitution, drugs, and public indecency, expanded to solidarity rallies in Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir, where 125 more protesters were detained. The FIDH also reports targeted social media censorship against journalists and activists. The campaign, dubbed "My Family is Safe," follows President Erdogan's proclamation of a "Decade of Family and Population." The FIDH calls for dropped charges and an immediate halt to EU pre-accession funding, citing Turkey's incompatibility with Union values.