A conscientious objector and trans activist Deniz Hikmet Hazer, was arrested this past weekend as part of a sweeping, nationwide crackdown on LGBTIQ+ people and organizations.
When Deniz publicly declared conscientious objection on Human Rights Day last December, she framed her refusal not as an isolated act, but as a collective resistance against state violence:
“…I refuse to participate in the state’s war, compulsory military service, and all forms of militarism. This is not merely an individual decision; it is part of the historical struggle of feminists, LGBTIQ+ people, peoples, and anti-war activists.
As a trans person, I know that militarism is a system of violence through which states rigidly enforce masculinity, sanctify heteronormativity, and criminalize LGBTIQ+ lives. The military is an institution where trans people, queers, and all non-conforming identities are ignored, humiliated, and oppressed. I will not be part of any structure that seeks to erase my gender identity, discipline my body, and frame my very existence as a threat.”
Deniz’s arrest took place during simultaneous police raids carried out across 15 cities under a state-led operation named “My Family is Safe.” This operation explicitly targets LGBTIQ+ activists, associations, and businesses. According to official announcements, legal proceedings have been launched against 162 individuals, 9 associations, and 13 businesses. Among those formally arrested are a journalist and board and audit members of Kaos GL Association in Ankara, as well as activists in Mersin, Aydın and İstanbul.
