Türkiye
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1998
Data card
- Legal status
- Abolitionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 0
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 0
- First news item in the archive
- NOVEMBER 12, 1998 · On November 12, 1998, Kurd leader Abdullah Ocalan was...
- News items in the archive
- 376
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
Türkiye is classified as Abolitionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 0 executions in the country, against 0 the year before. The archive holds 376 news items on Türkiye, from 1998 to today.
Latest news
- MARCH 4, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
State Minister Nejat Arseven meet with Council of Europe...
State Minister Nejat Arseven meet with Council of Europe Secretary General Walter Schwimmer, and Human Rights Commissioner Gil Robles within framework of his contacts in Strasbourg
- MARCH 2, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk declared that leaders...
Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk declared that leaders of terrorist organizations were not included in a new amnesty bill
- FEBRUARY 28, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Sami Selcuk, president of the Supreme Court of Appeals,...
Sami Selcuk, president of the Supreme Court of Appeals, has stated that it has become evident that the death penalty is not a deterrent force and added that Turkey is late in abolishing the death penalty
- FEBRUARY 27, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Pierre Brana, the member of French Parliament and EU...
Pierre Brana, the member of French Parliament and EU Commission, who leaded the French delegation during a visit in Turkey said that lifting of capital punishment was a "sine qua non" condition for Turkey's EU membership
- FEBRUARY 26, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
State Minister Mustafa Yilmaz said: "as you know, death...
State Minister Mustafa Yilmaz said: "as you know, death sentence was lifted in all member countries to the European Union (EU)
- FEBRUARY 23, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
The Dutch government denied asylum to Nuriye Kespir,...
The Dutch government denied asylum to Nuriye Kespir, a leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party who is wanted in Turkey to answer terrorism accusations
- FEBRUARY 21, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action...
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli reiterated that the death penalty dispute would not cause any problems in the coalition government
- FEBRUARY 21, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Assembly [parliament] Speaker Omer Izgi pointed out...
Assembly [parliament] Speaker Omer Izgi pointed out that certain EU countries, such as France and Greece, have retained the death penalty for war crimes or near war crimes
- FEBRUARY 15, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
The Ninth Criminal Department of the Supreme Court...
The Ninth Criminal Department of the Supreme Court of Appeals upheld the death sentence for three persons convicted of murdering two people on behalf of the illegal TIKB, the Turkish Revolutionary Communists Union
- FEBRUARY 14, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
A Turkish court handed down four death sentences in...
A Turkish court handed down four death sentences in a case stemming from a car bomb attack that killed three people and seriously injured a provincial governor in 1999, the state news agency Anatolian said
- FEBRUARY 14, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
European Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen...
European Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen said candidate country Turkey's recent political reforms, aimed at meeting EU standards, fell short of the bloc's expectations
- FEBRUARY 13, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
An Islamic leader defended the Palestinian struggle...
An Islamic leader defended the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation and accused the West of seeing terrorism as something practised only by Arabs and Muslims
- FEBRUARY 12, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk said that the European...
Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk said that the European Court of Human Rights was continuing to examine Turkey's death sentence against the chief of the terrorist organization [PKK] Abdullah Ocalan
- FEBRUARY 11, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, speaking at a meeting...
Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, speaking at a meeting entitled Turkey's Place in the EU organized by the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Istanbul, stated that the banning of capital punishment was included among Turkey's middle term goals in the Nation
- JANUARY 21, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
The rightwing National Action Party (MHP) is openly...
The rightwing National Action Party (MHP) is openly hostile to some the human rights reforms which are a precondition for starting talks on joining the European Union including a ban on the death penalty, a medium-term step agreed by Turkey with the EU
- JANUARY 20, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said the...
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said the government aims to abolish the death penalty in 2002 as it strives to meet European Union standards
- JANUARY 10, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader...
Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz said "although we fulfil short term objectives, the European Union (EU) will abstain from beginning full membership negotiations with Turkey as long as the death sentence exists in Turk
- JANUARY 10, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
The Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cim,...
The Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cim, stated that he expected the Spanish Presidency of the European Union to "pursue the positive process" carried out by the Belgian Presidency on the issue of Turkey's accession to the EU
- JANUARY 8, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said the lifting...
Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said the lifting of capital punishment was an issue intensely discussed by the Turkish public, pointing out that, "I wish a change will take place in this respect
- JANUARY 7, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the coalition's...
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the coalition's senior partner MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) Devlet Bahceli said the MHP backs the execution of death sentences in terror crimes
- JANUARY 7, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
A Turkish court sentenced three men to death on charges...
A Turkish court sentenced three men to death on charges linked to the killings of prominent supporters of a secular state, including a former culture minister and an investigative journalist
- JANUARY 3, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said capital punishment...
Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said capital punishment would be lifted and that he did not have any doubts about that issue
- JANUARY 3, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
The Constitutional Court decided to debate the annulment...
The Constitutional Court decided to debate the annulment of the provision in Article 450 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) which foresees capital punishment for homicide
- JANUARY 2, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Turkey's foreign minister called for the abolition...
Turkey's foreign minister called for the abolition of the death penalty from Turkish law to facilitate Ankara's bid to join the European Union
- JANUARY 1, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
The abolishment of death penalty continues occupying...
The abolishment of death penalty continues occupying the political agenda
- JANUARY 1, 2002TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
The Turkish government approved a series of amendments...
The Turkish government approved a series of amendments to the constitution on 3 October
- DECEMBER 26, 2001TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
The Supreme Court of Appeals reversed the death sentence...
The Supreme Court of Appeals reversed the death sentence handed down on Salih Izzet Erdis, also known as Salih Mirzabeyoglu, the head of the fundamentalist terrorist organization IBDA-C
- DECEMBER 15, 2001TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Turkish Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk said that...
Turkish Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk said that he cannot give assurances to Germany that Metin Kaplan, would not be executed if Germany decides to extradite him to Turkey
- DECEMBER 13, 2001TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
The Ankara State Security Court [DGM] condemned Ali...
The Ankara State Security Court [DGM] condemned Ali Gulmez, the so-called Black Sea regional secretary of a leftist organization, to death for attempting to disrupt the constitutional and basic order of the country through the activities and actions he ca
- DECEMBER 12, 2001TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Germany banned an Islamic extremist group, the Cologne-based...
Germany banned an Islamic extremist group, the Cologne-based State of Califat, and warned that similar groups could also be shut down under security laws tightened since terrorist attacks on September 11