The numbers in this table relate only to criminal offences constituting threats and damage to places of worship and cemeteries (Articles 115 and 153 of the Criminal Code).
On 1 November 2023, the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye approved new policy measures for 2024-2028 to monitor discrimination and hatred. The measures include the creation of a database to allow for the collection of statistics on criminal offences and misdemeanours involving hate and discrimination.
The topic of "Refugees and Hate Speech" was included in the criminal module of the in-service training programmes for judges and public prosecutors. The programmes are organized within the scope of a project on "Access to Justice for Asylum Seekers and Refugees", implemented by the Turkish Justice Academy and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In 2023, 121 judges and public prosecutors participated in the criminal law programme of the regional trainings organized as part of the project.
In January 2023, a Roma Coordination Centre was established within the Ministry of Interior to support Roma citizens' access to education, health, employment, housing, social services and assistance.
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) published relevant recommendations in its "Concluding observations on the 2nd periodic report of Türkiye : Human Rights Committee".
ODIHR recognizes Türkiye's efforts to report hate crime data and information to ODIHR. However, based on the available information, ODIHR observes that Türkiye's law enforcement agencies have not recorded the bias motivations of hate crimes. In addition, ODIHR also observes that Türkiye would benefit from reviewing the existing legal framework to ensure that bias motivations can be effectively acknowledged and appropriate penalties imposed on the perpetrators.
ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, OSCE participating States committed to promptly investigating hate crimes and ensuring that the motives of those convicted of hate crimes are acknowledged. To that end, law enforcement must first record the bias motivations of hate crimes. Participating States also committed to enacting specific, tailored legislation to combat hate crimes, providing for effective penalties that take into account the gravity of such crimes. ODIHR stands ready to support Türkiye in meeting the relevant commitments through its comprehensive resources and tailored assistance in the area of hate crime recording and data collection, as well as by providing further resources and tailored legislative advice.
🛈 Please note that the total number of incidents may be lower than the sum of incidents presented in the breakdown chart above, as some incidents involve multiple bias motivations.
🛈 ODIHR no longer presents descriptions of property attacks in the incident tables below. Data on property attacks are presented in the breakdown charts above. One property attack may target multiple properties or involve multiple types of attack.