Turkish Law in EnglishTÜRKİYE
Turkish Penal Code (Law No. 5237)

Article 138: Failure to destroy data

Book Two: Special Provisions › Part Two: Offences Against Persons › Chapter Nine: Offences against Private Life and the Confidential Sphere of Life

(1) Those who are under a duty to destroy data within the system and who fail to perform their duty notwithstanding the expiry of the periods prescribed by law shall be sentenced to imprisonment from one to two years.

(2) Added: 21/2/2014, Law No. 6526, Art. 5 Where the subject of the offence consists of data that must be removed or destroyed in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the penalty to be imposed shall be increased by one fold.

Original Turkish text

MADDE 138 · Verileri yok etmeme

(1) Kanunların belirlediği sürelerin geçmiş olmasına karşın verileri sistem içinde yok etmekle yükümlü olanlara görevlerini yerine getirmediklerinde bir yıldan iki yıla kadar hapis cezası verilir.

(2) (Ek: 21/2/2014-6526/5 md.) Suçun konusunun Ceza Muhakemesi Kanunu hükümlerine göre ortadan kaldırılması veya yok edilmesi gereken veri olması hâlinde verilecek ceza bir kat artırılır.

Text as of 1 October 2026 · Official source (Turkish): mevzuat.gov.tr ↗

Unofficial translation for information only. The Turkish text published in the Official Gazette is the only authoritative version. This page is not legal advice.