Türkiye weighs life sentences for serious teen crimes
Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has proposed a bill to replace lenient juvenile laws with stricter penalties for serious crimes, enabling courts to hand down life sentences to offenders aged 15 to 18 in specific homicide cases.
The 18-article proposal amends seven separate laws and comes amid growing public debate over violent crimes involving minors, intensified by the killing of 15-year-old Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi in Istanbul. The teenager died after being stabbed in a market by two suspects, both under 18, sparking calls for tougher penalties for juvenile offenders and renewed scrutiny of Türkiye’s juvenile justice system.
Speaking at a press conference, AKP Deputy Parliamentary Group Chair Leyla Şahin Usta said the package aims to strengthen deterrence, ensure fairer sentencing and reinforce the rehabilitation of children involved in the justice system.
The most notable provision would allow judges to impose life or aggravated life imprisonment on offenders aged 15 to 18 convicted of intentional murder. Under the proposal, judges would also be given discretion to reduce or eliminate sentence reductions that currently apply to minors in particularly serious cases, based on factors including intent and prior convictions.
