The breakdown below consists of police records related to the offences of "Prevention of the Exercise of Freedom of Belief, Thought and Conviction", and "Damaging Places of Worship and Cemeteries" (Articles 115 and 153 of Turkey’s Criminal Code).
In May 2022, the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye held its second meeting. The Institution is a consultative body tasked with discussing and proposing solutions to issues related to discrimination and hate crimes, and is composed of representatives of public institutions, CSOs and academia.
In 2022, the Ministry of Justice of Türkiye continued to expand the network of Directorates of Judicial Support and Victim Services established in courthouses. The Directorates serve to inform victims of their rights. The Ministry has also increased the number of special interviewing premises for vulnerable victims, including victims of hate crimes.
Throughout the year, training on hate crimes based on ODIHR's TAHCLE curriculum continued. In 2022, 113 new hate crime trainers received instruction, 21,719 police and guard candidates received hate crime training as part of their pre-service courses; information seminars on hate crime reached 42,718 personnel; and courses for the provincial gendarmerie were delivered to 121,478 personnel.
Additionally, in 2022 the Justice Academy of Türkiye provided training on victims' rights to 280 candidates for public prosecutors and judges as part of their pre-vocational course.
ODIHR recognizes Türkiye's efforts to provide training on hate crimes to police officers across the country However, based on 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.