{"id":2788,"date":"2026-04-07T10:40:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T07:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/?p=2788"},"modified":"2026-09-17T21:55:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T18:55:26","slug":"nefret-ve-ayrimcilik-sucu-tck-122","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/nefret-ve-ayrimcilik-sucu-tck-122\/","title":{"rendered":"WHAT IS THE CRIME OF HATE AND DISCRIMINATION (TCK ART. 122)? (2026 CURRENT GUIDE)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_88 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Ba\u015fl\u0131klar<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseprofile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/nefret-ve-ayrimcilik-sucu-tck-122\/#TCK_122_Neyi_Korur\" >What Does TCK Art. 122 Protect?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/nefret-ve-ayrimcilik-sucu-tck-122\/#Nefret_ve_Ayirimcilik_Sucunun_Unsurlari\" >Elements of the Crime of Hate and Discrimination<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/nefret-ve-ayrimcilik-sucu-tck-122\/#Hangi_fiiller_suc_sayilir\" >Which acts are considered crimes?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/nefret-ve-ayrimcilik-sucu-tck-122\/#Nefret_ve_Ayirimcilik_Sucunun_Cezasi\" >Penalty for the Crime of Hate and Discrimination<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/nefret-ve-ayrimcilik-sucu-tck-122\/#Sikca_Sorulan_Sorular\" >Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The crime of hate and discrimination is an offense regulated under Article 122 of the Turkish Penal Code, which penalizes the exclusion of individuals from economic and social life due to certain characteristics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This crime specifically protects <strong>the principle of equality<\/strong> and <strong>the prohibition of discrimination<\/strong> shall be evaluated within the scope of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not every discriminatory behavior encountered in daily life constitutes this crime. For the crime to occur, the conditions explicitly stated in the law must be met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most important feature of this crime is that not every unfair or offensive behavior is automatically&nbsp;<strong>the crime of hate and discrimination<\/strong>&nbsp;considered. For the crime to be established, both a&nbsp;<strong>hate motive<\/strong>&nbsp;must exist and the&nbsp;<strong>specific obstructive acts<\/strong>&nbsp;enumerated individually in the law must take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"TCK_122_Neyi_Korur\"><\/span><strong>What Does TCK Art. 122 Protect?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This regulation aims to prevent individuals from being excluded from social life solely due to their identities or affiliations. In other words, the law:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>equality in access to goods and services,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>equality of opportunity in working life,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>the right to participate in economic life,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>social peace<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">aims to protect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is also accepted in doctrine that the primary legal value protected by the article is&nbsp;<strong>preventing individuals from being deprived of the rights and freedoms provided by laws due to hate-based discrimination<\/strong>&nbsp;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Nefret_ve_Ayirimcilik_Sucunun_Unsurlari\"><\/span><strong>Elements of the Crime of Hate and Discrimination<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What are the protected groups?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The groups protected under TCK Article 122 are numerus clausus. These are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>language<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>race<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>nationality<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>color<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>gender<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>disability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>political opinion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>philosophical belief<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>religion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>sect<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although exclusion based on a reason not enumerated in the law may entail other legal consequences, it does not always&nbsp;<strong>constitute the crime of hate and discrimination within the meaning of Article 122 of the TCK<\/strong>&nbsp;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hangi_fiiller_suc_sayilir\"><\/span><strong>Which acts are considered crimes?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The article penalizes only the following four acts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Preventing the sale, transfer, or lease of goods offered to the public<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For instance, a landlord's or a business's refusal to sell goods or lease real estate to an individual solely due to their religious, sectarian, or ethnic affiliation may fall within this scope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Preventing the utilization of a specific service offered to the public<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An example of this act could be denying a person access to a service open to the public solely due to hatred stemming from their identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Prevention of employment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The exclusion of a candidate during the recruitment process based on protected identity characteristics rather than their qualifications may, in some cases, be evaluated within the scope of TCK Article 122.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Prevention of engaging in an ordinary economic activity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Preventing a person from carrying out normal commercial or economic activities due to hatred arising from the reasons enumerated in the law may also constitute a crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is Hate Motive?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The heart of the crime: Hate motive<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Hate motive<\/strong>, refers to the perpetrator committing the act not out of a routine preference, but with hostility and prejudice directed at the victim's specific identity, affiliation, or difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Therefore, for instance, merely a commercial preference, insufficient capacity, or an objective service barrier does not always constitute a crime. The prosecutor's office and the court investigate whether there is genuinely&nbsp;<strong>hate-based discrimination<\/strong>&nbsp;involved in the incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>General intent alone is not sufficient.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Court of Cassation and doctrine accept that, with respect to this crime, merely acting consciously is not enough; furthermore,&nbsp;<strong>the element of acting out of hatred<\/strong>&nbsp;must also be proven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this respect, TCK 122 is one of the types of crimes that are difficult to prove in practice. Because not only what the perpetrator did,&nbsp;<strong>but also why they did it<\/strong>&nbsp;is of importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Nefret_ve_Ayirimcilik_Sucunun_Cezasi\"><\/span><strong>Penalty for the Crime of Hate and Discrimination<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to TCK 122,&nbsp;<strong>the penalty for the crime of hate and discrimination is imprisonment from 1 to 3 years.<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The statutory text does not provide a separate specific aggravated circumstance for this crime. However, depending on the specifics of the case, other offenses may also arise. For instance, other types of offenses such as insult, threat, or incitement of the public to hatred and hostility may be separately evaluated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Does Every Form of Discrimination Fall Within the Scope of TCK 122?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. This is a very crucial point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every unjust act, every exclusion, or every unequal treatment&nbsp;<strong>does not constitute the crime of hate and discrimination in the legal sense of criminal law<\/strong>&nbsp;. In order for TCK 122 to apply:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It must be based on a&nbsp;<strong>protected group<\/strong>&nbsp;enumerated in the law,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It must be based on a&nbsp;<strong>there must be an act of<\/strong>&nbsp;prevention,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This act must be&nbsp;<strong>committed out of hatred<\/strong>&nbsp;.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If any of these three elements is missing, TCK 122 may not apply. However, the incident&nbsp;<strong>labor law<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>compensation law<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>administrative law<\/strong>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<strong>Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey<\/strong>&nbsp;may be examined before the scope of the prohibition of discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Are the Crime of Hate and Discrimination and Hate Speech the Same Thing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No, they are not the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The crime of hate and discrimination<\/strong>, pertains to the prevention of benefiting from certain rights and opportunities.<br><strong>Hate speech<\/strong>&nbsp;on the other hand, is mostly debated over expressions and statements; under which circumstances it will be considered a crime is evaluated separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Court of Cassation also emphasizes that the concepts of \"hate crime,\" \"discrimination,\" and \"hate speech,\" while closely related, are distinct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sikca_Sorulan_Sorular\"><\/span><strong>Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1) What is the crime of hate and discrimination?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is the prevention of a person from engaging in the fields of goods, services, employment, or economic activity due to differences in language, race, nationality, color, gender, disability, political opinion, philosophical belief, religion, or sect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2) What is the penalty under Article 122 of the TCK?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is imprisonment from 1 to 3 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3) Is every discriminatory behavior a crime?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. For Article 122 of the TCK to apply, there must be both one of the protected groups enumerated in the article and one of the four acts enumerated in the article. In addition, hate motive must be proven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4) Is failure to hire always considered the crime of hate and discrimination?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. The decision not to hire must genuinely&nbsp;<strong>be made due to hatred stemming from a protected identity characteristic.<\/strong>&nbsp;Rejections made for objective and legitimate reasons may not fall within this scope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>5) Can refusing to rent a house fall within the scope of Article 122 of the TCK?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes. If the failure to lease the immovable property occurred due to hatred stemming from the individual's protected identity characteristics, Article 122 of the TCK may apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>6) Does refusing to provide a service constitute this crime?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, but not in every case. The service must be open to the general public, and the refusal to provide it must be linked to hatred arising from the reasons enumerated in the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>7) Is Article 122 of the TCK a general hate crime provision?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. According to the Court of Cassation (Yarg\u0131tay), Article 122 of the TCK is not an independent and general hate crime regulation;\u00a0<strong>it is a limited penal norm concerning<\/strong>\u00a0acts of discrimination committed with the intent of hatred. Regarding the relevant provision of this law article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mevzuat.gov.tr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Legislation Information System<\/a> at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more information <strong>0532 669 34 90<\/strong> and  <a href=\"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/iletisim\/\">Contact<\/a> you can contact us via our addresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Atty. Bat\u0131n YILMAZ<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nefret ve ayr\u0131mc\u0131l\u0131k su\u00e7u, T\u00fcrk Ceza Kanunu\u2019nun 122. maddesinde d\u00fczenlenen ve ki\u015filerin belirli \u00f6zellikleri nedeniyle ekonomik ve sosyal hayattan d\u0131\u015flanmas\u0131n\u0131 cezaland\u0131ran bir su\u00e7 tipidir. Bu su\u00e7, \u00f6zellikle e\u015fitlik ilkesi ve ayr\u0131mc\u0131l\u0131k yasa\u011f\u0131 kapsam\u0131nda de\u011ferlendirilir. G\u00fcnl\u00fck hayatta kar\u015f\u0131la\u015f\u0131lan her ayr\u0131mc\u0131 davran\u0131\u015f bu su\u00e7u olu\u015fturmaz. Su\u00e7un olu\u015fmas\u0131 i\u00e7in kanunda a\u00e7\u0131k\u00e7a belirtilen \u015fartlar\u0131n ger\u00e7ekle\u015fmesi gerekir. Bu su\u00e7un en [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[424,425],"class_list":["post-2788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ceza-hukuku","tag-nefret-ve-ayirimcilik-sucu","tag-tck-122"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2788"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2886,"href":"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2788\/revisions\/2886"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/batinyilmaz.av.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}