Turkey

Turkey regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. Turkey implemented ODIHR's Training against Hate Crime for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) programme following a memorandum of understanding signed in 2016. The government launched a Human Rights Action Plan in 2021, which includes objectives dedicated to addressing hate crime in the country, including providing support to victims.

SELECT YEAR

OFFICIAL DATA

Year	Hate crimes recorded by police	Prosecuted	Sentenced
2021	87	210	374
2020	70	213	258
2019	79	248	319
2018	-	1983	589
2017	13	1967	500
2016	14	1455	290
2015	Not available	810	272
2014	Not available	658	202
2013	Not available	535	334
2012	Not available	497	158
2011	Not available	628	17
2010	6	330	297
2009	3	250	242

About 2015 Data

Prosecution and sentencing data only include crimes of incitement to hatred and discrimination.

Hate crime recorded by police

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR observes that Turkey has not periodically reported the numbers of hate crimes recorded by police to ODIHR.

Incidents reported by civil society, international organizations and the Holy See

Download incident data

Reports

Hate crime against Christians and members of other religions

The Holy See and the Association of Protestant Churches reported two physical assaults, including one in which shots were fired at a Baptist pastor; 23 incidents of threats; and four incidents of vandalism. The authorities reported back that investigations were on-going in some of the cases, whereas no information was available for other cases as the victims and incidents could not be identified based on the reported information. No bias motivation was recorded for any of the incidents.

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

The London Legal Group reported the murder of a Kurdish man, and one attack by a group on Syrian refugees in which knives were used and resulted in serious injuries.

Anti-LGBTI hate crime

Transgender Europe, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Human Rights First reported one murder. Transgender Europe reported two additional murders; four sexual assaults; 33 physical assaults, 21 of which involved the use of a weapon, eight of which were committed by a group and two in which a weapon was used. Transgender Europe also reported three threats, an arson attack, one incident of damage to property, one robbery and two incidents of thefts accompanied by threats.

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

Racist and xenophobic hate crime, Anti-Roma hate crime

In its "Concluding observations on the combined fourth to sixth periodic reports of Turkey", the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) recommended that racist motivation should be included as an aggravating circumstance in penal legislation. CERD expressed its concern at reports of hate crimes, including against Roma people, and recommended that all hate crime cases be effectively investigated and prosecuted, that law enforcement officials be trained, and that disaggregated statistics on hate crimes be collected and published.

Anti-LGBTI hate crime

Following its Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Turkish authorities expressed support for the recommendation to ensure the investigation, prosecution and sentencing of hate crimes motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The Turkish authorities consider these measures already implemented or being implemented. Turkey committed itself to examine and respond to recommendations to amend criminal legislation to explicitly prohibit hate crimes against LGBT people and to publish disaggregated data on such hate crimes.

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

In its fifth report on Turkey, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recommended that Turkey introduce racist, homophobic and transphobic motivations as an aggravating factor in its criminal code, and that the police strengthen co-operation with civil society to encourage the reporting of hate crimes. ECRI further recommended to create a system for police to record hate crimes, including adopting guidelines on hate crime recording and investigation by the police.