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

Article 25: Legitimate defence and necessity

Part Two: Principles of Criminal Responsibility › Chapter Two: Grounds Excluding or Reducing Criminal Responsibility

(1) No penalty shall be imposed on an offender for acts committed out of the necessity to repel an unjust attack directed against a right belonging to himself or herself or to another, which is occurring, or the occurrence or repetition of which is certain, in a manner proportionate to the attack in light of the situation and circumstances at that moment.

(2) No penalty shall be imposed on an offender for acts committed out of the necessity to save himself or herself or another from a grave and certain danger directed against a right belonging to himself or herself or to another, which he or she has not knowingly caused and from which there is no other means of protection, provided that there is proportionality between the gravity of the danger and the subject and the means used.

Original Turkish text

MADDE 25 · Meşru savunma ve zorunluluk hali

(1) Gerek kendisine ve gerek başkasına ait bir hakka yönelmiş, gerçekleşen, gerçekleşmesi veya tekrarı muhakkak olan haksız bir saldırıyı o anda hal ve koşullara göre saldırı ile orantılı biçimde defetmek zorunluluğu ile işlenen fiillerden dolayı faile ceza verilmez.

(2) Gerek kendisine gerek başkasına ait bir hakka yönelik olup, bilerek neden olmadığı ve başka suretle korunmak olanağı bulunmayan ağır ve muhakkak bir tehlikeden kurtulmak veya başkasını kurtarmak zorunluluğu ile ve tehlikenin ağırlığı ile konu ve kullanılan vasıta arasında orantı bulunmak koşulu ile işlenen fiillerden dolayı faile ceza verilmez.

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.