Intentional Injury Crime in Turkey

Under Article 86 of the Turkish Penal Code, intentionally causing pain, health deterioration, or impairment of perception ability is punishable by imprisonment from one to three years. If the injury can be treated with simple medical intervention, the penalty ranges from four months to one year of imprisonment or a judicial fine, based on the victim’s complaint.

Certain circumstances lead to increased penalties:

• If committed against ascendants, descendants, spouse, or siblings
• If committed against a physically or mentally defenseless person
• If committed due to public duty
• If committed by abusing official power
• If committed with a weapon, the penalty increases by half.
• If committed with cruel intent, the penalty is doubled.

If the offense results in more severe outcomes, penalties are increased:

• Permanent impairment of a sense or organ
• Speech impairment
• Permanent facial scarring leads to a doubling of the penalty.
• Life-threatening consequences or premature birth caused by the attack on a pregnant woman also result in doubled penalties.

Intentional injury can also be committed through omission, leading to a penalty reduction of up to two-thirds. If minor injuries are involved, the offense is subject to complaint. If a single act results in multiple injuries, separate charges apply for each victim, without chain offense rules.

Justifications for the offense include duty execution, self-defense, necessity, and other general justifications. Victim consent, medical interventions, exercise of sports rights, and societal appropriateness can also make the act lawful.