Turkey Extradition Law — Case Law, Legal Framework and Procedure

Extradition cases involving Turkey — Requested and Requesting State

🇹🇷

Turkey

Turkey Extradition Law & Case Law — 48 cases

27
As requested
state
21
As requesting
state
Case Law
Extradition to Turkey allowed despite fair trial concerns, subject to detention and return assurances
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Summary
The requested person, a Dutch national of Kurdish origin, opposed extradition to Türkiye for prosecution for a drug-trafficking offence, arguing that his political activities exposed him to a flagrant denial of justice and that the criminal charge was a pretext for political persecution. The District Court acknowledged serious concerns regarding judicial independence and the rule of law in Türkiye but found no sufficiently concrete indication that the proceedings against the requested person were politically motivated or that his surrender would expose him to a flagrant breach of Article 6 ECHR. Extradition was therefore declared admissible. The Court nevertheless advised the Minister to obtain assurances concerning detention conditions, taking account of the requested person’s Kurdish background and public activities, and to require a specific and unconditional guarantee that, if convicted, he could return to the Netherlands to serve his sentence.
22/07/2026 · District Court of Amsterdam · ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2026:7662; Case No. 13-020824-26
🇳🇱Netherlands → 🇹🇷Turkey
GrantedExtradition
Procedural Safeguards and Consent-Based Extradition under Turkish Law in an Extradition Request from Denmark
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Summary
Under Turkish Law No. 6706 on International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters, extradition proceedings must comply with procedural safeguards, including proper notification of the extradition request and clarification of whether the requested person consents to simplified extradition procedures. Failure to inform the requested person regarding consent-based extradition constitutes a procedural defect affecting defence rights.In extradition proceedings initiated upon a request from Denmark concerning organised-crime-related offences, the defence also relied on Articles 2 and 3 ECHR, alleging risks arising from organised criminal retaliation and insufficient state protection in the requesting State.The Turkish Court of Cassation held that the procedural defect required correction but ultimately upheld the admissibility of extradition.
12/01/2026 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 5th Criminal Chamber · E. 2025/11836, K. 2026/84
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇩🇰Denmark
GrantedExtradition
Application of the speciality principle in Post-Extradition Criminal Proceedings
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Summary
The case concerned criminal proceedings for theft against a defendant who had previously been extradited from Georgia to Türkiye on 7 February 2022.The lower court convicted the defendant.The defendant appealed, arguing inter alia that:- prosecution for the present offence violated the specialty principle because the offence was not mentioned in the extradition decision.The Turkish Court of Cassation examined:- the European Convention on Extradition;- Law No. 6706;- the Ministry of Justice Circular No. 69/4.The Court emphasized that under the specialty principle, an extradited person may only be:- prosecuted;- convicted;- or have a sentence enforcedfor offences that formed the basis of the extradition decision. The Court held that the lower court failed to verify whether the theft offence had been included within the extradition granted by Georgia. The Court ruled that:- extradition documents must first be obtained and reviewed;- if the theft offence was not covered, supplementary extradition consent must be requested from Georgian authorities.The conviction was therefore quashed.
02/10/2025 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 2nd Criminal Chamber · E. 2025/10783, K. 2025/17117
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇬🇪Georgia
GrantedExtradition
Indirect refoulement risk through safe third country and protection against onward extradition
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Summary
The applicant, a Chinese national of Uyghur Muslim origin, challenged a deportation order issued by Turkish migration authorities.The authorities designated Kyrgyzstan as a safe third country.The applicant argued that removal to Kyrgyzstan created a substantial risk of onward surrender to China, where he faced possible persecution due to his ethnic and religious identity.He submitted evidence indicating prior transfers of Uyghurs from Kyrgyzstan to Chinese authorities.The administrative court rejected his challengeThe Constitutional Court held that domestic courts failed to conduct sufficient scrutiny of:- direct removal risk to China;- indirect surrender risk through Kyrgyzstan;- country-specific human rights concerns.The Court found that effective procedural safeguards against refoulement had not been provided.
01/10/2025 · Constitutional Court of Türkiye, Second Section · Application No. 2022/108353
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇨🇳China
Rejected (procedural grounds)Extradition
Procedural Safeguards and Sufficiency of Extradition Documents in Extradition Proceedings under Turkish Law
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Summary
The case concerned an extradition request submitted by the Russian Federation against a person sought for the offence of establishing a criminal organization.The Ankara 33rd Heavy Penal Court found the extradition request admissible under Law No. 6706 and the bilateral treaty between Türkiye and the Russian Federation.The defence appealed, arguing inter alia that:- the extradition request contained contradictory and incomplete information;- the alleged conduct, place of commission, and applicable legal provisions were insufficiently specified;- the requested person risked politically motivated prosecution;- extradition could expose the requested person to torture, ill-treatment, or disproportionate punishment;- defence rights had been violated;- and proportionality and family circumstances had not been properly considered.The Turkish Court of Cassation held that:additional information and supporting evidence should have been requested from the Russian Federation;the alleged acts should have been concretely specified regarding place, time, and manner of commission;translated and certified evidentiary materials linking the requested person to the alleged offence should have been obtained;double criminality and limitation-period assessments required further clarification.The Court further found that:- the requested person had not properly been informed about consent-based extradition procedures;- defence rights had been restricted because extradition materials had not been properly disclosed;- specialty-principle guarantees had not been reflected in the judgment;- and the lower court failed to assess family integration, long-term residence, health conditions, and proportionality under Article 11(4) of Law No. 6706.The extradition admissibility judgment was therefore quashed.
16/09/2025 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 4th Criminal Chamber · E. 2025/5784, K. 2025/13611
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇷🇺Russia
Rejected (procedural grounds)Extradition
In Absentia Convictions and Defence Rights in Extradition Proceedings under Turkish Law
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Summary
The case concerned an extradition request submitted by the Republic of Kazakhstan against G.K. for alleged embezzlement offences committed between 2014 and 2016.The Bakırköy 20th Heavy Penal Court found the extradition request admissible under Law No. 6706.The defence appealed, arguing inter alia that:- insufficient time had been provided for defence preparation;- the requested person had already been convicted in absentia in Kazakhstan in 2024;- the extradition file was outdated because it relied on a 2019 extradition request;- additional documents concerning the alleged conviction should have been obtained;- the prosecution was politically motivated;- extradition would expose the requested person to torture and ill-treatment;- specialty guarantees had not been properly addressed.The Turkish Court of Cassation held that the lower court failed to sufficiently investigate whether:- in absentia proceedings had occurred;- a conviction had become final;- defence rights had been respected in the requesting State.The Court emphasized that under:- Article 4(1)(ç) of Law No. 6706;- Article 18(2) of Law No. 6706;- and the bilateral judicial cooperation agreement between Türkiye and Kazakhstan,supplementary information and updated documentation should have been requested before assessing extradition admissibility.The Court therefore quashed the judgment.
15/09/2025 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 5th Criminal Chamber · E. 2025/6330, K. 2025/9054
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇰🇿Kazakhstan
Rejected (procedural grounds)Extradition
Remaining sentence calculation and principle of speciality in extradition proceedings under Turkish Law
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Summary
The case concerned an extradition request submitted by the United Kingdom against H.D.B. for the execution of the remaining portion of a sentence imposed for intentional bodily harm.The extradition request arose after the requested person allegedly violated parole conditions relating to a six-year prison sentence imposed by the Wood Green Crown Court in 2008.The Aydın 4th Heavy Penal Court found the extradition request admissible under Law No. 6706.The defence appealed, arguing inter alia that:- the sentence had effectively been completed following release in 2019;- the UK execution system had subsequently changed;- extradition would expose the requested person to disproportionate and inhuman punishment;- the extradition request failed to clearly specify the remaining executable sentence;- specialty-principle safeguards were insufficient.The Turkish Court of Cassation held that the lower court failed to sufficiently determine the exact remaining custodial sentence still executable in the United Kingdom.The Court emphasized that:- extradition detention may not exceed the remaining enforceable sentence;- proportionality assessment required clarification of the precise balance of sentence remaining;- supplementary information should have been requested from the requesting State.The Court further held that the judgment inadequately addressed specialty-principle protections under Article 10(4) of Law No. 6706.The extradition admissibility judgment was therefore quashed.
15/09/2025 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 5th Criminal Chamber · E. 2025/6232, K. 2025/9055
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇬🇧United Kingdom
Rejected (procedural grounds)Extradition
Individualized Offence Assessment and Evidentiary Sufficiency in Extradition Proceedings under Turkish Law
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Summary
The case concerned an extradition request submitted by the French Republic against a person sought for multiple offences connected with:- international drug trafficking;- money laundering;- organized criminal activity;- cross-border financial transfers.French judicial authorities alleged that the requested person participated between 2017 and 2021 in a transnational narcotics and financial-crime organization involving cocaine trafficking and laundering of criminal proceeds between France and foreign jurisdictions.The Kırklareli 2nd Heavy Penal Court found the extradition request admissible under Law No. 6706.The defence appealed, arguing inter alia that:- no sufficiently convincing evidence linked the requested person to the alleged offences;- extradition would disproportionately affect the requested person’s family life and social integration in Türkiye under Article 11(4) of Law No. 6706.The Turkish Court of Cassation partially accepted the appeal. The Court held that:- the extradition request failed to adequately explain the underlying criminal investigations;- the factual allegations concerning where, when, and how the offences were allegedly committed were insufficiently specified;- certified translated evidentiary materials demonstrating the requested person’s connection to the offences had not been provided.The Court further emphasized that extradition admissibility must be separately assessed for each offence forming the basis of the extradition request.Because the lower court failed to individually analyze the extradition conditions for each alleged offence, the judgment was quashed.
14/05/2025 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 10th Criminal Chamber · E. 2025/2713, K. 2025/5614
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇫🇷France
Rejected (procedural grounds)Extradition
Separate Offence Assessment and Sufficiency of Extradition Documents in Transnational Narcotics Extradition Proceedings
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Summary
The case concerned an extradition request submitted by the Kingdom of Spain against a Croatian national sought for:- drug trafficking;- membership in a criminal organization.Spanish judicial authorities alleged that the requested person participated in an international cocaine-trafficking network involving approximately 980 kilograms of cocaine transported from Brazil toward Spain through maritime routes.Spanish authorities issued:- an international arrest warrant;- a European Arrest Warrant;- and a provisional detention order.The requested person was apprehended in İstanbul following intelligence and operational cooperation involving Europol and Turkish anti-narcotics authorities. A forged passport was allegedly discovered during the arrest.The Kırklareli 1st Heavy Penal Court found the extradition request admissible under Law No. 6706.The defence appealed, arguing inter alia that:- the extradition request insufficiently specified the offences and applicable legal provisions;- the alleged offence may not have fallen within Spanish territorial jurisdiction because the narcotics seizure occurred on the high seas;- the organization offence had not been separately analyzed;- fair-trial and defence-right guarantees had not been sufficiently examined;- family and social integration circumstances had not been assessed under Article 11(4) of Law No. 6706.The Turkish Court of Cassation partially accepted these objections. The Court held that:- extradition admissibility must be separately assessed for each offence forming the basis of the request;- the lower court failed to separately evaluate the “membership in a criminal organization” allegation;- Spanish authorities had not sufficiently provided the applicable legal provisions and explanatory legal framework required under Article 12(2)(c) of the European Convention on Extradition;- supplementary information should therefore have been requested pursuant to Article 18(2) of Law No. 6706 and Article 13 ECE.The extradition admissibility judgment was therefore quashed.
09/04/2025 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 10th Criminal Chamber · E. 2025/430, K. 2025/4124
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇪🇸Spain
Rejected (procedural grounds)Extradition
Extradition may be certified where treaty requirements, dual criminality and probable cause are established for concealing evidence and protecting an offender
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Summary
The United States, acting on behalf of the Republic of Türkiye, sought the extradition of Eylem Tok, a Turkish national, on charges of destroying, concealing or altering evidence under Article 281 of the Turkish Criminal Code and protecting an offender under Article 283 of the same code. The charges arose not from the underlying fatal traffic accident — which the record attributes entirely to her minor son, T.C. — but from her conduct in the hours immediately following it: taking a victim’s cell phone from security officers under a false pretext and concealing it, removing her son and two other minors from the accident scene before police could observe or question them, and flying with her son out of Türkiye on one-way tickets within three hours of the collision.Following an extradition hearing under 18 U.S.C. § 3184, Chief Magistrate Judge Cabell denied the relator’s motion to dismiss, denied her motion for release from custody, and certified her extraditability to the Secretary of State on both offences. The decision is a companion to In re Extradition of T.C., 740 F. Supp. 3d 10 (D. Mass. 2024), concerning the relator’s son, and it addresses in detail several recurring questions of U.S. extradition law: the minimum-gravity (one-year punishability) requirement and its interaction with treaty accessory clauses, the treatment of foreign-law expert evidence that contradicts the requesting State’s position, the dual criminality doctrine, the meaning of “charged with an offense” in a treaty that does not require a charging document, the probable cause standard, and the “special circumstances” test for bail pending extradition.
11/02/2025 · United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts · No. 24-MJ-01365-DLC; 765 F. Supp. 3d 46
🇺🇸United States → 🇹🇷Turkey
GrantedExtradition
Binding nature of retrial guarantees given to secure extradition
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Summary
The applicant had been convicted in absentia in Türkiye. After it was discovered that he was located in Georgia, Turkish authorities sought extradition.To secure extradition, the Turkish trial court issued a formal assurance under Law No. 3732 implementing the Second Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Extradition, guaranteeing the applicant a renewed trial upon return.Following extradition, however, the domestic court rejected his retrial request.The court reasoned that the ordinary grounds for reopening under the Criminal Procedure Code were not satisfied.The Constitutional Court found this interpretation incompatible with the statutory retrial guarantee specifically governing extradition-based surrender. It held that the refusal rendered the prior extradition assurance ineffective and violated access to court.
23/01/2025 · Constitutional Court of Türkiye, Plenary Assembly · Application No. 2020/16014
🇬🇪Georgia → 🇹🇷Turkey
Rejected (procedural grounds)Extradition
Specialty Principle and Supplementary Information Requirements in Extradition Proceedings under Turkish Law
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Summary
The case concerned an extradition request submitted by the Republic of Uzbekistan against N.K., an Uzbek national sought for offences including embezzlement, extortion, and forgery-related crimes allegedly committed between 2015 and 2017.The Istanbul Anatolian 17th Heavy Penal Court found the extradition request inadmissible under Article 10(2) of Law No. 6706, reasoning that the offences were punishable alternatively by fines or corrective labour measures rather than mandatory imprisonment.The public prosecutor appealed.The Turkish Court of Cassation held that the lower court had incorrectly interpreted Article 10(2) of Law No. 6706. The Court emphasized that the relevant Uzbek offences also carried custodial sentences exceeding one year and therefore satisfied the extraditability threshold.The Court further found that additional information should have been requested from Uzbekistan concerning:- whether restitution of the alleged financial damage affected continuation of criminal proceedings;- whether the requesting State still intended to pursue extradition;- and whether Uzbekistan would comply with the specialty principle by limiting prosecution to the offences forming the basis of extradition.The Court concluded that the lower court prematurely rejected the extradition request without obtaining the necessary supplementary information and assurances.The judgment was therefore quashed.
06/01/2025 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 11th Criminal Chamber · E. 2024/5625i K. 2025/82
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇺🇿Uzbekistan
Rejected (procedural grounds)Extradition
Specialty principle and family-life proportionality in extradition proceedings under Turkish Law
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Summary
The case concerned an extradition request submitted by the Republic of Azerbaijan against Ç.N. for alleged fraud offences committed in 2016.The Bakırköy 22nd Heavy Penal Court found the extradition request admissible under Law No. 6706.The defence appealed.The Turkish Court of Cassation identified multiple procedural and substantive deficiencies in the extradition proceedings.First, the Court held that an additional extradition request transmitted during separate extradition proceedings involving the same requested person had not been processed in accordance with Articles 13 and 15 of Law No. 6706. The supplementary request should have been formally submitted through the Public Prosecutor’s Office and examined separately with full defence guarantees.Second, the Court emphasized the specialty principle under:- Article 14 of the European Convention on Extradition;- Article 10(4) of Law No. 6706.Because Azerbaijani authorities had not expressly guaranteed that the requested person would only be prosecuted for the offences forming the basis of extradition, the extradition file was considered incomplete.Third, the Court stressed that the lower court failed to assess proportionality and family-life considerations under Article 11(4) of Law No. 6706. The defence had argued that the requested person:- had long resided in Türkiye;- lived together with family members in Türkiye;- maintained stable employment and residence;- and had school-age children integrated into Turkish society.The Court held that these personal and family circumstances required individualized assessment before extradition admissibility could properly be determined.The judgment was therefore quashed.
16/12/2024 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 11th Criminal Chamber · E. 2024/5904, K. 2024/15592
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇦🇿Azerbaijan
Rejected (procedural grounds)Extradition
Citizenship revocation, international protection and evidentiary sufficiency in extradition proceedings
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Summary
The case concerned an extradition request submitted by Belgium against an Albanian national sought for prosecution for:- organized drug trafficking;- participation in a criminal organization.Belgian judicial authorities alleged that the requested person participated in a criminal organization involved in large-scale narcotics trafficking and that approximately 3.2 tons of narcotics were connected to the investigation. Belgian authorities issued:- an arrest warrant;- an Interpol Red Notice.The requested person had previously acquired Turkish citizenship exceptionally by Presidential decision in 2020, but his citizenship was later revoked in 2023 on national-security and public-order grounds.The requested person challenged the citizenship-revocation decision before the Council of State (Danıştay), and the administrative litigation remained pending during extradition proceedings.The requested person additionally filed an international-protection application before Turkish migration authorities.The Çankırı Heavy Penal Court found the extradition request admissible.The defence appealed, arguing inter alia that:- the Belgian extradition request lacked sufficiently concrete factual and evidentiary detail;- no adequate explanation existed regarding where, when, and how the alleged offences were committed;- specialty-principle guarantees had not been provided;- pending citizenship and asylum proceedings had not been resolved;- extradition would disproportionately affect the requested person’s family life and children residing in Türkiye.The Turkish Court of Cassation accepted these objections. The Court held that:- the outcome of the citizenship-revocation litigation and international-protection proceedings should have been awaited;- Belgian authorities had not sufficiently substantiated the allegations with concrete evidence such as: bank-transfer records; Sky ECC communication contents; and other investigative materials; - proportionality analysis under Article 11(4) of Law No. 6706 had not been adequately conducted;- Belgium had failed to provide an explicit specialty-principle undertaking under: Article 10(4) of Law No. 6706; Article 14 ECE.The extradition admissibility judgment was therefore quashed.
15/10/2024 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 8th Criminal Chamber · E. 2024/18054, K. 2024/7673
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇧🇪Belgium
Rejected (procedural grounds)Extradition
Double Criminality and Human Rights Review in Extradition Proceedings to the United States
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Summary
The case concerned an extradition request submitted by the United States against a U.S. citizen sought for:- intentional homicide;- unlawful possession of firearms.According to the extradition materials, U.S. authorities alleged that the requested person killed James A. Richardson in Seattle on 29 December 2019. U.S. judicial authorities subsequently issued arrest and international search measures for extradition purposes. Following the extradition request transmitted through the Turkish Ministry of Justice, the İstanbul 11th Heavy Penal Court found the extradition request admissible under:- Law No. 6706;- the bilateral judicial cooperation agreement between Türkiye and the United States;- Article 6 ECHR.- An additional decision was later rendered concerning the firearms offence.The defence appealed, arguing inter alia that:- the requested person was innocent;- another person had allegedly confessed and was serving a life sentence in the United States;- the extradition materials were inaccurate and unreliable.The Turkish Court of Cassation rejected these objections. The Court held that:- the requested person and the internationally sought person were clearly identified as the same individual;- the offences constituted offences under Turkish criminal law;- the offences were neither political nor military offences;- the offences were allegedly committed in the United States and therefore did not fall within Turkish territorial jurisdiction;- the offences were not time-barred;- no evidence existed indicating discriminatory prosecution, torture, or ill-treatment risks upon extradition.The Court therefore upheld the extradition admissibility decisions.
25/09/2024 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 1st Criminal Chamber · E. 2024/669, K. 2024/5967
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇺🇸United States
GrantedExtradition
Double Criminality and Human-Rights Review in Extradition Proceedings under Turkish Law
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Summary
The case concerned an extradition request submitted by the Russian Federation against an Uzbek national sought for:- murder committed to conceal another offence;- armed robbery committed by multiple offenders.The requested person was internationally sought through an Interpol Red Notice issued by Russian authorities.The İstanbul 15th Heavy Penal Court found the extradition request admissible under Law No. 6706 and the bilateral treaty between Türkiye and the Russian Federation.The defence appealed, arguing inter alia that:- the extradition materials had not been sufficiently translated;- the offences were time-barred;- extradition would violate fair trial guarantees and legal certainty;- extradition conditions had not been satisfied.The Turkish Court of Cassation upheld the extradition admissibility decision.The Court emphasized that:- the requested person was not a Turkish citizen;- the offences constituted serious ordinary crimes under both Turkish and Russian law;- the offences were neither political nor military offences;- the alleged crimes were committed in Russia and therefore did not fall within Turkish territorial jurisdiction;- there was insufficient evidence that the requested person would face discriminatory prosecution, torture, or ill-treatment upon extradition.The Court therefore concluded that the extradition request satisfied the requirements of Law No. 6706 and applicable treaty obligations.
03/04/2024 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 1st Criminal Chamber · E. 2024/2511, K. 2024/2306
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇷🇺Russia
GrantedExtradition
Retrial Guarantees and Extradition following in absentia convictions under Turkish Law
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Summary
The case concerned an extradition request submitted by the Netherlands against a Dutch national born in Ghana who had been convicted in absentia for organized criminal offences involving narcotics trafficking, money laundering, bribery, and criminal organization leadership. Dutch judicial authorities alleged that the requested person participated in:- cocaine importation and trafficking;- laundering of criminal proceeds;- bribery;- organized criminal activities.The Amsterdam Criminal Court sentenced the requested person in absentia to 12 years’ imprisonment.Dutch authorities subsequently issued:- an arrest warrant;- an Interpol Red Notice.The requested person was later apprehended in Türkiye in connection with separate Turkish investigations involving:- criminal organization offences;- money laundering allegations.Dutch authorities formally requested extradition for enforcement of the Dutch conviction.The İstanbul 33rd Heavy Penal Court found the extradition request admissible under Law No. 6706.The defence appealed, arguing inter alia that:- the conviction had been rendered in absentia;- retrial guarantees were insufficient;- the requested person would face racial discrimination because he was Black and Ghanaian-born;- detention measures were unlawful;- defence rights had been restricted.The Turkish Court of Cassation rejected these objections. The Court held that:- Dutch judicial authorities had provided adequate guarantees under Article 3 of the Second Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Extradition;- the requested person would be entitled to participate in renewed appellate proceedings;- no concrete evidence existed indicating discriminatory prosecution, torture, or ill-treatment risks;- procedural defence rights during Turkish extradition proceedings had been respected;- detention measures were lawful and proportionate.The Court therefore upheld the extradition admissibility judgment.
03/04/2024 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 8th Criminal Chamber · E. 2024/4721, K. 2024/3037
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇳🇱Netherlands
GrantedExtradition
Double Criminality and Enforcement of Foreign Convictions in Extradition Proceedings under Turkish Law
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Summary
The case concerned an extradition request submitted by the Italian Republic against a person sought for:- intentional homicide;- firearms offences.Italian judicial authorities had issued a final sentence totaling 22 years’ imprisonment, and an international arrest warrant had been circulated through an Interpol Red Notice.The requested person was located in an immigration removal centre in Erzurum pending deportation proceedings.The Erzurum 3rd Heavy Penal Court found the extradition request admissible under Law No. 6706 and the European Convention on Extradition.The defence appealed, arguing inter alia that:- fair-trial rights had been violated;- extradition conditions had not been satisfied.The Turkish Court of Cassation upheld the extradition admissibility decision.The Court emphasized that:- the requested person was not a Turkish citizen;- the offences also constituted offences under Turkish criminal law;- the offences were neither political nor military offences;- the offences did not fall within Turkish territorial jurisdiction;- the prosecution was not time-barred;- and no evidence existed suggesting discriminatory prosecution, torture, or ill-treatment risks in Italy.The Court therefore concluded that the extradition request satisfied the requirements of Law No. 6706 and the European Convention on Extradition.
27/03/2024 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 1st Criminal Chamber · E. 2023/8585, K. 2024/2091
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇮🇹Italy
GrantedExtradition
Assessment of Extradition Refusal Grounds in Homicide Extradition Proceedings under Turkish Law
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Summary
The case concerned an extradition request submitted by Poland against a Polish national sought for prosecution for intentional homicide. Polish judicial authorities initiated a murder investigation concerning the death of M. H. and issued international search measures for extradition purposes.The Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office initiated extradition proceedings following communications from the Turkish Ministry of Justice.The Antalya 10th Heavy Penal Court found the extradition request admissible under Article 18 of Law No. 6706.The defence appealed, arguing inter alia that:- the investigation was incomplete;- defence rights had been restricted;- the judgment was procedurally unlawful.The Turkish Court of Cassation rejected these objections. The Court held that:- the requested person and the internationally sought person were clearly identified as the same individual;- the alleged offence constituted an offence under Turkish criminal law;- the offence was neither political nor military in nature;- the alleged offence had been committed in Poland and therefore did not fall within Turkish territorial jurisdiction;- the prosecution was not time-barred under Polish law;- no evidence existed indicating discriminatory prosecution, torture, or ill-treatment risks.The Court additionally noted that:- the requested person had refused consent-based extradition procedures.The extradition admissibility judgment was therefore upheld and the release request rejected.
20/03/2024 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 1st Criminal Chamber · E. 2023/6334, K. 2024/1885
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇵🇱Poland
GrantedExtradition
Universal Jurisdiction and Extradition in International Narcotics Trafficking Proceedings under Turkish Law
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Summary
The case concerned an extradition request submitted by Sweden against a Swedish national sought for prosecution for aggravated narcotics trafficking. Swedish judicial authorities alleged that the requested person committed large-scale narcotics offences in Stockholm between early 2020 and 2 May 2020. The Solna District Court issued a detention order and Swedish authorities circulated an Interpol Red Notice requesting extradition.The requested person resided in Türkiye under a temporary residence permit issued in Muğla.The Fethiye 1st Heavy Penal Court found the extradition request admissible under Law No. 6706.The defence appealed, arguing inter alia that:- the extradition judgment had not properly been translated and explained;- detention was disproportionate;- Türkiye possessed jurisdiction under Article 13 TCK;- extradition would expose the requested person to anti-Muslim discrimination in Sweden.The Turkish Court of Cassation rejected these objections but partially corrected the lower court’s legal reasoning. The Court held that:- narcotics trafficking offences fall within Türkiye’s universal jurisdiction under Article 13 TCK;- however, Sweden possessed primary territorial jurisdiction because the alleged offences occurred in Sweden;- Türkiye’s jurisdiction in such cases was supplementary rather than exclusive.The Court therefore concluded that:- extradition remained legally permissible despite the existence of Turkish universal jurisdiction.The Court additionally held that:- no evidence existed indicating discriminatory prosecution or torture risk;- procedural defence rights had been respected;- the extradition request satisfied the requirements of the European Convention on Extradition and Law No. 6706.The judgment was therefore corrected and upheld.
11/12/2023 · Turkish Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 10th Criminal Chamber · E. 2023/15061, K. 2023/10878
🇹🇷Turkey → 🇸🇪Sweden
GrantedExtradition
Country Contributor
Vahit Bıçak
Haraç Law & Consultancy
Prof. Dr. Vahit Bıçak is a Turkish attorney, expert of criminal law, criminal procedure law, and evidence law, and an internationally recognised practitioner specialising in extradition, INTERPOL Red Notices, cross-border criminal investigations, international judicial cooperation, white-collar crime, anti-money laundering (AML), sanctions-related proceedings, cybercrime, and transnational financial offences.
He is the Founder and Chairman of Bıçak Law Firm, a full-service law firm headquartered in Ankara with an additional office in Istanbul. The firm advises domestic and international clients in complex criminal, regulatory, compliance, and cross-border dispute matters involving multiple jurisdictions and international enforcement authorities.
Prof. Dr. Bıçak has more than three decades of professional experience in criminal law, criminal procedure law, international criminal cooperation, organised crime, financial crime, compliance, and regulatory investigations. His practice focuses particularly on extradition proceedings, INTERPOL Red Notice matters, European Arrest Warrant-related issues, international fraud investigations, money laundering and asset tracing, sanctions and export control investigations, cybercrime and digital evidence, corporate criminal liability, crossborder economic and business crimes, and international criminal defense and judicial cooperation.
He regularly advises individuals, executives, companies, and foreign legal teams in matters involving parallel criminal investigations, provisional arrests, mutual legal assistance, international arrest requests, and transnational financial enforcement proceedings.
Prof. Dr. Bıçak is widely recognised as a leading practitioner in Türkiye in the field of business criminal law and white-collar crime. He has advised on legislative and regulatory matters concerning fraud, corruption, bribery, anti-money laundering compliance, insider dealing, cybercrime, tax-related offences, financial misconduct, and organised criminal structures.
Prof. Dr. Bıçak graduated from the Faculty of Law of Ankara University and obtained his Ph.D. in Law from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom with a thesis concerning improperly obtained evidence and criminal procedure safeguards.
Throughout his academic and professional career, he has served as a visiting scholar and lecturer at several internationally recognised institutions, including the City University of New York and Fordham Law School in the United States, Lyon II University Faculty of Law in France, and the University of Maribor in Slovenia.
He has also held academic positions at leading Turkish universities, including Hacettepe University, Gazi University, Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, Bilkent University, Atılım University, and Başkent University. Since 1990, he has lectured extensively on criminal law, criminal procedure law, evidence law, organised crime, financial crime, international criminal cooperation, cybercrime, and business criminal law.
Prof. Dr. Bıçak has authored numerous academic and professional publications concerning criminal law, constitutional law, anti-money laundering regulation, cybercrime, evidence law, and comparative legal systems. His international publications include contributions to comparative legal publications and international legal guides relating to anti-money laundering, constitutional law, cybersecurity, and regulatory enforcement.
He currently serves as the Türkiye Ambassador of the International Sanctions & Export Control Society (ISECS) and as the White-Collar Crime Law Representative for Türkiye at Cross Border Advisory Solutions.
Under his leadership, Bıçak Law Firm maintains active international cooperation with foreign law firms, compliance professionals, academics, and legal practitioners across multiple jurisdictions in matters involving extradition, sanctions, INTERPOL, financial crime, cyber investigations, and international regulatory enforcement. Prof. Dr. Bıçak is fluent in Turkish and English.
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Ali Yildiz
Ali Yildiz Legal
He is a member of both the Ankara and Brussels Bar Associations and has been dedicatedly practicing law since 2004. His academic journey in law began with an LLB degree from the University of Ankara, followed by an LLM in International and European Law at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He is fluent in Turkish, proficient in English, and has a basic understanding of Dutch.
He is a human rights lawyer and expert in individual applications to the European Court of Human Rights, UN Human Rights Mechanisms, the INTERPOL Commission for the Control of Files, and extradition and asylum procedures.
He completed expert witness training in the University of London. He is a member of the EIN’s Directory of Experts on Country of Origin. He provides expert witness reports on Turkish law in general, as well as on extradition and asylum cases. He has been involved as an expert witness in cases in the USA, the UK, Scotland and Belgium.
He is the author of several human rights monitoring reports on Turkey.
He is a regular legal writer, publishing on Verfassungsblog, Just Security, and with The International Association of Constitutional Law. He often provides comments to international media, including the Wall Street Journal, Al-Monitor, Balkan Insight, Turkish Minute, Ahval, Free Turkish Press, and The National.
He is a member of the Legal Experts Advisory Panel of Fair Trials, a member of Lawyers Against Transnational Repression, and the recipient of the ECBA Scott Crosby Human Rights Award 2025.
His dedication to the legal profession has been recognized through several international distinctions. In 2019, he was shortlisted as a finalist for the Lawyers for Lawyers Award, which honours lawyers who have shown exceptional courage and commitment to defending human rights and the rule of law. In 2021, he was invited to join the Legal Experts Advisory Panel of Fair Trials, a leading European NGO promoting fairness and justice in criminal proceedings. In 2025, he became one of the founding members of Lawyers Against Transnational Repression, an international network of legal professionals defending those targeted across borders. That same year, he was honoured with the Scott Crosby Human Rights Award by the European Criminal Bar Association (ECBA) in recognition of his work for human rights and the legal profession.
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Mehmet Fırat Can Haraç
Mehmet Fırat Can Haraç Law Firm
Mehmet Fırat Can Haraç is a Turkish criminal defence lawyer and a member of the Istanbul Bar Association. He has been practising law since 2020 and is based in Istanbul. He is currently pursuing an LL.M. in Public Law at Bahçeşehir University, with a particular academic interest in criminal law, criminal procedure and fundamental rights.

He is a native Turkish speaker, professionally proficient in English, and has a basic knowledge of Italian and French.

His practice focuses on criminal defence, extradition proceedings, international judicial cooperation in criminal matters, INTERPOL Red Notices and cross-border criminal cases.
His extradition experience includes representing a Russian national sought for extradition from Türkiye, as well as Turkish nationals whose extradition to Türkiye was sought from Italy. He has also worked on extradition cases involving Belgian and Greek nationals, providing legal opinions on issues arising under Turkish extradition law and procedure.
He has experience in INTERPOL-related matters and has prepared applications before the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF), particularly concerning Red Notices. His work in international criminal cooperation has a particular focus on the protection of fundamental rights and the human-rights implications of extradition, international arrest measures and other forms of cross-border criminal cooperation.
He has also prepared individual applications to the European Court of Human Rights concerning alleged violations of rights protected under the European Convention on Human Rights and closely follows the Court’s case law and proceedings.
Alongside his legal practice, Fırat is actively involved in international professional organisations. He serves as an Executive Officer of the European Young Bar Association (EYBA) and is involved in the Association’s work concerning the Council of Europe.
His principal professional interests include criminal defence, extradition law, INTERPOL mechanisms, international criminal cooperation, criminal procedure and the protection of fundamental rights in cross-border criminal proceedings.
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