11th Judicial Package passes commission: Early release for thousands

WISE NEWS PRESS / ANKARA, TURKEY — DEC. 5, 2025

The Turkish Parliament's Justice Commission has approved the 11th Judicial Package, a controversial bill aimed at reducing prison overcrowding that paves the way for the early release of approximately 55,000 inmates.

Covering crimes committed on or before July 31, 2023, the legislation excludes terror-related charges and organized crime but offers sentence reductions for drug trafficking, negligent homicide, and various petty crimes. According to the Ministry of Justice, Turkish prisons currently hold over 433,000 inmates despite a capacity of only 305,000, creating an overflow of more than 128,000 people.

Terms of early release

Under the proposal passed by the commission, the sentence reduction applies strictly to the specified timeframe. Inmates with sentences of less than 10 years will be eligible for transfer to open prisons after serving one month in a closed facility, while those with sentences of 10 years or more must serve three months.

Significantly, inmates who have three years or less remaining before they are eligible for open prison transfer can be released up to five years early. Those already in open prisons will be eligible for probation three years earlier than scheduled, provided they serve an additional three months.

Exclusions and inclusions

Following last-minute motions, intentional homicide against women, children, family members, and vulnerable persons, as well as sexual crimes, were excluded from the package. Crimes falling under the Anti-Terror Law, organized crime, and espionage are also ineligible for reduction.

However, the package includes sentence reductions for drug dealing, theft, fraud, looting, bribery, and forgery. Notably, suspects involved in the high-profile murder of former Ülkü Ocakları President Sinan Ateş will also be eligible for reduction based on the date of the crime.

Political prisoners vs. negligence cases

The legislation draws a sharp line between political cases and those involving public safety negligence.

• Political Prisoners: High-profile figures such as philanthropist Osman Kavala, lawyer Can Atalay, and Kurdish politicians Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ remain excluded due to charges related to "constitutional order" and "terrorism."

• Earthquake and Accident Cases: Defendants on trial for "probable intent" or "negligent homicide" regarding collapsed buildings in the Feb. 6 earthquakes (including the Isias Hotel and Rönesans Residence cases) will benefit from the reduction. This also applies to those responsible for the Soma and Amasra mine disasters and the Çorlu train crash.

The bill is expected to move to the General Assembly soon, where it faces opposition criticism but is likely to pass given the government's parliamentary majority.

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