Supporters are rallying behind KAOS GL in Turkey after eight people linked to the LGBTQ+ rights group were imprisoned without conviction. The organisation is continuing its legal, media and community work under intense pressure, while emergency funding is helping families and lawyers maintain contact with those still behind bars.

Essential Takeaways

  • Eight people detained: Seven activists and a journalist remain in prison pending charges.
  • No conviction: Authorities have yet to produce a formal indictment, according to KAOS GL.
  • Serious welfare concerns: Campaigners warn about healthcare, medication and safe conditions for LGBTQ+ prisoners.
  • Emergency help matters: A £1,000 donation is supporting legal assistance, prison visits and basic allowances.
  • The work continues: KAOS GL is still publishing news and its long-running magazine.

A month behind bars, with no indictment

The most striking detail is also the hardest to process: people connected to KAOS GL have spent more than a month in prison without a conviction, while prosecutors have not yet set out the full allegations. The detention followed a police operation targeting members of the organisation’s leadership and journalist Tekerek. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders described the arrests as part of a wider pattern of arbitrary detention targeting LGBTQI+ rights defenders. [3]

Some detainees have been released, but courts have ordered others in Ankara, Izmir, Istanbul and Aydin to remain imprisoned. That uncertainty leaves families, colleagues and supporters waiting for clarity while legal teams work to challenge the decisions. The story has also drawn international attention, with El Pais reporting on the activists’ determination not to disappear from public life. [4]

Why KAOS GL matters in Turkey

Founded in 1994, KAOS GL is far more than a campaign group. It combines human rights advocacy, legal monitoring, journalism and community support, offering practical help in a country where LGBTQ+ organisations have faced years of official hostility. Its work has made it a vital source of information and solidarity for people who may otherwise struggle to find either. [7]

The organisation’s offices and leadership have now become part of the crackdown. KAOS GL reported that police entered its premises and detained members of its board and audit committee, disrupting the everyday machinery of a group that has spent decades documenting discrimination and supporting vulnerable communities. [2]

Prison conditions raise fresh fears

Detention is only one part of the concern. KAOS GL has warned about access to healthcare, medication and safe living conditions for trans people and prisoners living with HIV. Campaigners have also raised allegations that some LGBTQ+ detainees may be subjected to sexually transmitted infection testing without consent or placed in isolation while results are awaited. [3]

One detained board member, a trans man, is reportedly being held alone. That detail gives the wider political story a grimly personal edge. For prisoners already navigating stigma and possible discrimination, a single cell may feel less like protection and more like another form of vulnerability. [6]

Emergency funding is helping keep the organisation going

The arrests have created immediate financial strain. KAOS GL is supporting detainees through legal costs, prison visits and basic prison allowances, while the detention of senior board members has made it harder to access and manage some international funding. A £1,000 emergency donation from the Attitude Foundation is therefore modest in size but meaningful in timing. [1]

It also underlines how quickly repression can affect the practical details of activism. Campaigns need lawyers, postage, travel, phone credit and people who can keep showing up. Those unglamorous costs are often what allow a rights organisation to remain visible when authorities would prefer it to go quiet. [6]

The message from KAOS GL is defiant

Despite the pressure, KAOS GL says its magazine and news portal continue to publish. Its current “We Want Freedom” campaign is focused on securing the release of those still detained, while keeping attention on the wider threat to LGBTQ+ rights in Turkey. [7]

That persistence matters. El Pais reported that detained activists and their supporters are urging people not to lose hope, a message that sounds both political and deeply human. The future remains uncertain, but every article published, court hearing attended and prison visit completed pushes back against the idea that repression can erase a movement. [4]

It's a small emergency donation in a very large struggle, but sustained support can help keep vital voices heard.

Source Reference Map

Story idea inspired by: [1]

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