The asliye ceza mahkemesi is Türkiye's general criminal court of first instance. Sitting with one judge, it hears every case not given to the heavy penal court (offences punishable by more than ten years and listed crimes) or to a special court, under Articles 11 and 12 of Law No. 5235; since 25 December 2025 that includes qualified fraud. The court reviews the indictment within 15 days, may convict, acquit or defer the announcement of the judgment (HAGB), and its judgments can be appealed to the regional court within two weeks of service of the reasoned judgment.
Most foreigners who end up in a Turkish criminal trial never see the heavy penal court. A fight outside a bar, a shoplifting accusation, an insulting message, a small quantity of drugs, a disputed online sale or a harassment complaint will almost always be tried by the asliye ceza mahkemesi, the criminal court of first instance, which sits with a single judge in every province and in many districts. Its workload grew at the end of 2025: Law No. 7571 of 24 December 2025, in force since 25 December 2025, removed qualified fraud under Article 158 of the Penal Code from the list of offences reserved for the heavy penal court, so most fraud cases, including fraud committed through banks or information systems, are now tried before this court as well. This article explains which offences the court hears and how it differs from the criminal judgeship of peace and the heavy penal court, how a case reaches it, what happens at the hearing, the judgments it can give, the two week deadline for appeal and what a foreign defendant needs in practice.
For how this court fits alongside the heavy penal courts, the regional courts of appeal and the Court of Cassation, see our guide to the Turkish legal system.
The structure of the Turkish criminal courts is set by the Law on the Establishment, Duties and Powers of the Courts of First Instance of the Ordinary Judiciary, Law No. 5235. Under Article 9 of that law, criminal courts are established by the Ministry of Justice, with the favourable opinion of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors, in every provincial centre and in districts chosen according to geography and workload. The asliye ceza mahkemesi always sits with a single judge. Where the workload requires it, a city has several courts numbered in order, such as the "Istanbul 12th Criminal Court of First Instance", and the Council may allocate particular types of case to particular courts so that judges specialise. Each court is known by the name of the province or district in which it sits.
The asliye ceza mahkemesi should not be confused with the asliye hukuk mahkemesi, the civil court of first instance, which decides private law disputes. A victim's claim for compensation is normally pursued before the civil courts, even where the criminal case is pending before the asliye ceza court.
Under Article 10, the sulh ceza hâkimliği, the criminal judgeship of peace, exists to take the decisions that require a judge during an investigation and to examine objections against them. It decides on arrest, searches, seizures, judicial control measures such as a ban on leaving the country, and objections to a prosecutor's decision of non-prosecution under Article 173 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Law No. 5271. It does not hold trials. Since 2014, when Law No. 6545 replaced the former criminal courts of peace with these judgeships, every trial for a minor offence goes to the asliye ceza court.
Under Article 12, the ağır ceza mahkemesi, the heavy penal court, hears cases for robbery (Article 148 of the Penal Code), extortion by public officials (Article 250(1) and (2)), forgery of official documents (Article 204(2)), fraudulent bankruptcy (Article 161), the offences against the state in chapters four to seven of Part Four of the Penal Code (with some exceptions), offences under the Law on the Fight Against Terrorism, Law No. 3713, and any offence punishable by aggravated life imprisonment, life imprisonment or more than ten years' imprisonment. It sits as a panel of a presiding judge and two members.
Article 11 defines the asliye ceza court's jurisdiction by exclusion: it hears all cases that are not given to the criminal judgeship of peace or the heavy penal court, unless a special law gives them to another court. Article 13 reserves cases that special laws assign to other criminal courts, and Article 12 keeps the special rules on prosecuting children, which are heard by juvenile courts.
Under Article 14, the court is chosen by the upper limit of the penalty that the law provides for the offence, without taking aggravating or mitigating circumstances into account. An offence with a statutory maximum of ten years therefore stays with the asliye ceza court, while one with a maximum above ten years goes to the heavy penal court. If it becomes clear after the indictment has been accepted that the case belongs to another court, the court sends it there by a decision of non-jurisdiction under Article 5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure; under Article 6, however, a heavy penal court cannot send a case down to the asliye ceza court merely because the legal characterisation of the offence changes during the hearing.
Article 12 of Law No. 7571 deleted the words "qualified fraud (Article 158)" from Article 12 of Law No. 5235. Qualified fraud carries three to ten years' imprisonment, so it now falls within the asliye ceza court. A new Provisional Article 7 provides that cases already pending before a heavy penal court, or on appeal, on 25 December 2025 continue under the old rules until they become final, and no decision of non-jurisdiction or reversal can be based on the change.
| Court | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Criminal judgeship of peace (sulh ceza hâkimliği) | Judge's decisions during the investigation: arrest, search, seizure, judicial control, objections to non-prosecution; no trials |
| Criminal court of first instance (asliye ceza mahkemesi) | Single judge; tries every offence not given to another court, in practice offences with a statutory maximum of ten years or less, including qualified fraud since 25 December 2025 |
| Heavy penal court (ağır ceza mahkemesi) | Panel of three; offences punishable by more than ten years, life imprisonment, and listed offences such as robbery, forgery of official documents and terrorism offences |
| Regional court of appeal (bölge adliye mahkemesi) | Hears istinaf appeals against judgments of both first instance courts, on facts and law |
| Court of Cassation (Yargıtay) | Hears appeals on points of law against certain regional court decisions, within the limits of Article 286 |
Because the dividing line is the ten year maximum, the asliye ceza court hears the great majority of criminal cases. Examples, with the statutory penalties as they stand today, include:
Every criminal case starts with an investigation by the public prosecutor, usually after a complaint, a police report or an arrest. The suspect is asked to give a statement at the police station or the prosecutor's office. Under Article 150 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a suspect may choose a lawyer and, if he or she cannot afford one, may ask for a lawyer to be appointed. Our article on your rights when giving a police statement explains this stage, which often decides the case.
For offences listed in Article 253, including theft, basic fraud, simple threat and most offences that depend on a complaint, the prosecutor must first refer the file to conciliation, uzlaştırma; an agreement ends the investigation. Offences against sexual integrity, stalking and insult are excluded. For a separate list in Article 250, the prosecutor offers the summary procedure, seri muhakeme: if the suspect accepts in the presence of a lawyer, the prosecutor proposes a sentence reduced by one half and the court approves it after hearing the suspect, without a full trial.
If the evidence gives sufficient suspicion that the offence was committed, the prosecutor draws up an indictment, iddianame, under Article 170. It must identify the suspect, the victim and any complainant, the offence and the provisions of law to be applied, the place and date of the act and the evidence, and it must set out matters in the suspect's favour as well as against.
Under Article 174, the court examines the indictment and the investigation file within fifteen days. It returns the indictment to the prosecutor if it does not meet Article 170, if evidence directly affecting proof was not collected, if conciliation or the summary procedure was clearly required but not applied, or, since an amendment by Law No. 7593 of 8 August 2026, if a child under fifteen is concerned and no social inquiry was made. An indictment cannot be returned merely because of the legal characterisation of the offence, and one that is not returned within the fifteen days is deemed accepted.
Once the indictment is accepted, the public prosecution has been filed and the prosecution stage begins (Article 175). The court fixes a hearing date and serves the indictment on the defendant with a summons. Under Article 176(4), at least one week must pass between service of the summons and the hearing. A defendant who wants witnesses called or defence evidence collected must apply at least five days before the hearing under Article 177.
For offences punishable by a judicial fine or by imprisonment with a maximum of two years or less, the asliye ceza court may choose the simple trial procedure, basit yargılama usulü, under Article 251, provided it does so before a hearing date is fixed. The indictment is served on the defendant, the victim and the complainant, who have two weeks to send written statements. The judge then decides on the file without a hearing and without the prosecutor's opinion, and any prison sentence is reduced by one quarter. Under Article 252, any party can object to the decision, in which case the file goes to another asliye ceza court or, where there is only one, to another judge, who holds a hearing and decides under the general rules. For a foreigner who has left Türkiye, the written stage makes it particularly important that the address on file is correct and that a lawyer receives the papers.
Under Article 193, no hearing is held in the absence of the defendant, and a defendant who stays away without a valid excuse may be brought to court by force. The case may be concluded in his or her absence only where the evidence points to an outcome other than conviction, a finding of no penalty or a security measure. Once questioned, the defendant may be excused from later hearings at the request of the defendant or the lawyer under Article 196(1). A defendant who lives elsewhere can be questioned through letters rogatory, istinabe, unless the offence carries a minimum of five years or more, and a defendant who is in Türkiye can take part by video where the court considers it necessary. Our article on the consequences of not attending a court hearing explains the risks of absence.
Under Article 191, the judge checks who is present, reads the decision accepting the indictment, establishes the defendant's identity and personal and financial situation, explains the acts and evidence on which the charge is based and their legal characterisation, and reminds the defendant of the right to remain silent. The defendant is then questioned, and the evidence is examined: witness statements, documents, camera footage, expert reports. At the end, the prosecutor gives an opinion on the merits, esas hakkında mütalaa, and under Article 216 the intervening party, the prosecutor, the defendant and the lawyer speak in turn. The last word always belongs to the defendant who is present. Straightforward cases may be concluded in a few hearings; cases that need expert reports or witnesses from abroad take far longer.
Article 223 lists the judgments that end a case. The table below summarises them.
| Judgment | When It Is Given |
|---|---|
| Acquittal (beraat) | The act is not an offence, it was not committed by the defendant, there was no intent or negligence, a ground of justification applies, or commission is not proved |
| No penalty (ceza verilmesine yer olmadığı) | The offence is proved but the defendant lacks culpability, for example because of excusable excess in self defence, or a personal ground such as effective repentance applies |
| Conviction (mahkûmiyet) | Commission of the offence is proved; the court fixes the penalty |
| Security measure | Imposed instead of, or alongside, a penalty |
| Dismissal (davanın reddi) | A judgment has already been given, or a case is already pending, for the same act against the same defendant |
| Discontinuance (düşme) | A ground of discontinuance in the Penal Code exists, such as withdrawal of a complaint or expiry of the limitation period |
A conviction is not always the end of the matter. Where the sentence is two years or less or a judicial fine, the court may defer the announcement of the judgment, which then produces no legal effect if the defendant commits no new intentional offence during a five year supervision period; Law No. 7589 of 16 July 2026 rewrote these rules, which we explain in our article on HAGB in Türkiye. A sentence of two years or less may instead be suspended under Article 51 of the Penal Code, and a sentence of one year or less may be converted into a judicial fine or another alternative under Article 50. The court reads out the operative part at the end of the hearing; the reasoned judgment is written and served later, and the appeal period runs from that service.
Judgments of the asliye ceza court can be appealed to the regional court of appeal, bölge adliye mahkemesi, by way of istinaf under Article 272. Under Article 273(1), the appeal must be lodged within two weeks from the date on which the judgment is served with its reasons, by a petition to the court that gave the judgment or by a declaration to its clerk. A defendant does not have to state the grounds of appeal for the appeal to be examined, but a well argued petition matters; see our article on the criminal istinaf petition. A victim can appeal only if he or she has joined the case as an intervening party.
Under Article 272(3), there is no istinaf against a conviction to a judicial fine of up to and including 15,000 Turkish Lira, unless the fine was converted from imprisonment; against an acquittal for an offence punishable by a judicial fine of up to 500 days; or against a judgment that a law declares final. The 15,000 Lira threshold was raised from 3,000 Lira by Law No. 7499 of 2 March 2024.
The regional court examines both facts and law. Under Article 280, it may reject the appeal on the merits, correct an error and then reject it, send the case back to the first instance court, or hold its own hearing and give a new judgment. A further appeal on points of law to the Court of Cassation is also lodged within two weeks of service under Article 291, but Article 286(2) excludes many asliye ceza cases. In particular, there is no further appeal against a regional court decision rejecting on the merits an appeal against a sentence of five years or less, or against decisions on offences with a statutory maximum of two years or less, subject to narrow exceptions. For many asliye ceza cases, therefore, the regional court is the last instance. Objections against interim decisions, such as a refusal to lift a travel ban, are made within two weeks under Article 268.
Under Article 202, if the defendant or the victim does not speak enough Turkish, the essential points of the prosecution and the defence are translated at the hearing by an interpreter appointed by the court, and the same applies to statements given during the investigation. The defendant may also give the oral defence in another language in which he or she can express himself or herself better, using an interpreter chosen from the official list at his or her own expense. Under Article 324(5), the cost of an interpreter appointed for a defendant, victim or witness who does not know Turkish is borne by the State and is not counted as a cost of the proceedings. Documents such as the indictment are served in Turkish, so a translation should be obtained as soon as the papers arrive.
Representation by a lawyer is compulsory only for children, persons unable to defend themselves and offences with a minimum penalty of more than five years (Article 150(2) and (3)), so most asliye ceza defendants are not given a lawyer automatically, although they may ask for one if they cannot afford it. In practice a foreign defendant without a lawyer is at a serious disadvantage: the hearings move quickly, the reasoning of the judgment arrives later in Turkish, and the two week appeal period passes regardless. Our criminal defence team represents foreign clients at every stage, including when they are outside Türkiye.
During the investigation or trial a judge may impose judicial control, including a ban on leaving the country under Article 109(3)(a), which is a different measure from an administrative entry ban; see entry ban versus exit ban. Keep the address and telephone number on file up to date, because summonses and judgments are served there and the deadlines run from service. Prosecution is also subject to limitation periods, explained in our article on criminal statute of limitations in Turkish law.
Under Article 234, the victim may ask for evidence to be collected during the investigation, be informed of the hearing, request copies and ask for witnesses to be summoned. Victims under eighteen, or unable to express themselves, are assigned a lawyer without having to ask. Under Article 237, the victim may join the public prosecution as an intervening party, katılan, at any stage before the first instance judgment, which gives the right to speak at the hearing and to appeal. If the prosecutor decides not to prosecute, the victim may object within two weeks of service to the criminal judgeship of peace under Article 173.
It means the criminal court of first instance, the general criminal trial court in Türkiye, which sits with a single judge.
The heavy penal court hears offences punishable by more than ten years and certain listed offences, sitting as a panel of three judges; the asliye ceza court hears everything else with one judge.
No. It only decides on measures during the investigation, such as arrest, search and travel bans, and on objections to those decisions and to non-prosecution.
Since 25 December 2025, the asliye ceza court, because Law No. 7571 removed Article 158 from the heavy penal court's list; cases already pending on that date continue under the old rules.
Under Article 14 of Law No. 5235, the upper limit of the statutory penalty is used without taking aggravating or mitigating circumstances into account.
Fifteen days. If the court does not return the indictment within that period, it is deemed accepted under Article 174(3).
You must attend until you have been questioned, in court or through letters rogatory; after that the court may excuse you from attending at your or your lawyer's request under Article 196.
Article 196(4) allows video participation only for a defendant who is in Türkiye. A defendant abroad may be questioned through letters rogatory where the offence allows it, which depends on judicial cooperation and takes time.
For offences with a maximum of two years or a judicial fine, the judge may decide on written statements without a hearing, reducing any sentence by one quarter; any party can object and obtain a normal hearing.
Yes, where the sentence is two years or less or a judicial fine and the conditions of Article 231 of the Code of Criminal Procedure are met.
Two weeks from service of the reasoned judgment, by petition to the court that gave it or by declaration to its clerk.
No. Convictions to a judicial fine of 15,000 Turkish Lira or less, unless converted from imprisonment, and certain acquittals for minor offences are final under Article 272(3).
No. Under Article 324(5) the State pays for an interpreter appointed because you do not know Turkish; you pay only if you choose your own interpreter for your oral defence.
Often, yes. Article 286 excludes a further appeal in many cases, including where the regional court rejects on the merits an appeal against a sentence of five years or less.
The asliye ceza mahkemesi is the single judge court that tries every criminal case not reserved to the heavy penal court or a special court, which in practice means offences with a statutory maximum of ten years or less and, since 25 December 2025, qualified fraud as well. A case reaches it through an indictment that the court reviews within fifteen days; the hearing follows the order set by the Code of Criminal Procedure; the judgment may be a conviction, an acquittal, a deferral of announcement or another outcome listed in Article 223; and the appeal to the regional court must be lodged within two weeks of service of the reasoned judgment.
For a foreign defendant, the practical risks lie less in the law than in the procedure: a statement given without a lawyer, a summons sent to an old address, an indictment that nobody translated, or an appeal deadline missed while the reasoned judgment sat in a letterbox. If you have been summoned to an asliye ceza court, or want to follow a case as a victim, you can discuss it in English with our legal team.
