Insulting Airport Staff or Police at Istanbul Airport: TCK 125

1. What Does Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code Say?

Article 125 punishes imputing to a person a concrete act or fact capable of offending their honour, dignity and respectability, and swearing at them, with imprisonment of three months to two years or a judicial fine. It adds a rule for messages, an aggravated form for certain victims and an increase for insults committed publicly.

The basic offence: Article 125(1). A person who imputes to someone a concrete act or fact (somut bir fiil veya olgu) capable of offending their honour, dignity and respectability (onur, şeref ve saygınlığını), or who attacks a person's honour, dignity and respectability by swearing (sövmek suretiyle), is punished with imprisonment of three months to two years or a judicial fine. For an insult made in the victim's absence to be punished, the act has to be committed in communication with at least three people (en az üç kişiyle ihtilat ederek).

Messages: Article 125(2). Where the act is committed through a voice, written or visual message addressed to the victim, the penalty in the first paragraph is imposed.

Aggravated forms: Article 125(3). Where the insult is committed (a) against a public official because of their duty, (b) because of a person's religious, political, social or philosophical beliefs, thoughts and opinions, or (c) by reference to values held sacred in the person's religion, the lower limit of the penalty cannot be less than one year.

Publicly: Article 125(4). If the insult is committed publicly (alenen), the penalty is increased by one sixth. Whether an insult in a terminal hall was committed publicly in the sense of the paragraph is for the court to assess on the facts.

2. Is Insulting a Police Officer or Customs Officer Treated Differently?

Yes, where the officer is a public official and the insult is committed because of their duty. Article 125(3)(a) sets a higher lower limit (not less than one year) where the insult is committed against a public official because of their duty (kamu görevlisine karşı görevinden dolayı), and Article 131(1) takes this form out of the complaint rule, so it is investigated and prosecuted without the official having to file a complaint.

Who is a public official. Under TCK Article 6(1)(c), a public official (kamu görevlisi) is a person who takes part in carrying out a public activity by appointment or election, or in any other way, permanently, for a fixed term or temporarily. The definition does not list professions. Staff of an airline or a ground-handling company are employed by a company, and whether a particular person at the airport meets the definition is a question the prosecutor and the court decide.

"Because of their duty". The aggravated form is worded around the reason for the insult: it applies where the insult is committed against the official because of their duty. How that reason is established in a given file is assessed on the evidence.

No complaint needed. TCK Article 131(1) provides that, except for an insult committed against a public official because of their duty, the investigation and prosecution of insult depend on the victim's complaint. The prosecutor can therefore act on an insult to a public official because of their duty without a complaint, and the complaint and withdrawal rules in Section 3 do not apply to it.

3. Airline Staff, Ground Staff and Other Passengers: The Complaint Rule

Where the insult is not against a public official because of their duty, Article 131(1) makes the investigation and prosecution depend on the victim's complaint (mağdurun şikayetine bağlıdır). Under that wording, an insult to another passenger depends on a complaint, and so does an insult to an airline or ground-handling employee unless that person is found to be a public official insulted because of their duty.

The complaint period. Under TCK Article 73(1), if the person entitled to complain does not complain within six months, no investigation or prosecution can be carried out. Under TCK Article 73(2), provided the limitation period has not passed, the six months start from the day that person knows or learns of the act and of who committed it. A sentence added to the same paragraph in November 2024 provides that for complaint-based insult the complaint period cannot exceed two years from the date of the act, in whatever way the matter arises.

Where a complaint is made. Under CMK Article 158(1), a complaint can be made to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office or to the law-enforcement authorities, and under CMK Article 158(5) it can be made in writing or orally to be recorded in a written record.

Withdrawing the complaint. Under TCK Article 73(4), in offences whose prosecution depends on a complaint, unless the law provides otherwise, the victim's withdrawal of the complaint ends the case; a withdrawal after the judgment has become final does not prevent the execution of the penalty. Under TCK Article 73(6), unless the law provides otherwise, the withdrawal does not affect a defendant who does not accept it. Under CMK Article 158(7), if it is understood during the prosecution that the offence depends on a complaint, the trial continues unless the victim expressly withdraws the complaint.

The table sets out how the texts treat the main situations at an airport.

4. Can an Insult Case Be Settled Through Reconciliation?

No. CMK Article 253(3) provides that, even where their investigation and prosecution depend on a complaint, reconciliation (uzlaştırma) cannot be used for offences against sexual inviolability, for persistent stalking and for the offence of insult (TCK Article 125).

This is a recent change. CMK Article 253(1)(a) brings offences whose investigation and prosecution depend on a complaint within reconciliation, and insult, apart from the public-official form, is such an offence. An amendment of November 2024 first added insult by a message addressed to the victim, under TCK Article 125(2), to the exclusion in CMK Article 253(3). An amendment of 24 December 2025 replaced the words "(125 inci maddenin ikinci fıkrası)" with "(madde 125)", so the exclusion now refers to the offence of insult in TCK Article 125.

In these texts, a complaint-based insult case can end through the victim's withdrawal of the complaint under TCK Article 73(4), described in Section 3; that route does not exist for an insult against a public official because of their duty, which does not depend on a complaint. An apology is not, in these texts, a procedure that closes a file.

5. Provocation and Mutual Insults: TCK Article 129

Article 129 is headed "Insult in response to an unjust act or mutual insult" (Haksız fiil nedeniyle veya karşılıklı hakaret). It has three paragraphs.

1. Reaction to an unjust act: Article 129(1). Where insult is committed as a reaction to an unjust act (haksız bir fiile tepki olarak), the penalty may be reduced by up to one third, or the court may decide not to impose a penalty.
2. Reaction to intentional injury: Article 129(2). Where insult is committed as a reaction to the offence of intentional injury (kasten yaralama), no penalty is imposed on the person.
3. Mutual insults: Article 129(3). Where insult is committed mutually, depending on the nature of the event, the penalty for both sides or one of them may be reduced by up to one third, or the court may decide not to impose a penalty.

Paragraphs (1) and (3) use the word "may": the reduction or the decision not to impose a penalty is for the court, on the facts of the file. If the argument began with something said or done to the traveller, witnesses, the time of the exchange and any recordings that show how it began can matter for this assessment.

6. In the Terminal or on Board: Which Law Applies?

In the terminal. Under TCK Article 8(1), Turkish law applies to offences committed in Türkiye, and an offence is deemed committed in Türkiye if the act is committed wholly or partly in Türkiye or its result occurs here.

On board. Under TCK Article 8(2)(a), an offence committed in Turkish land and air space or Turkish territorial waters is deemed committed in Türkiye; under TCK Article 8(2)(b), so is an offence committed on the high seas and in the air space above them, in or by means of Turkish sea and air vehicles. On board, the Turkish Civil Aviation Law also gives the aircraft's commander statutory powers before any police officer is involved:

• Under Law No. 2920 Article 101, the pilot-in-command (sorumlu kaptan pilot) is authorised to take measures to ensure safety and order on the aircraft and, for that purpose, to give orders and instructions to passengers, staff and others on board, and, where necessary, to remove them from the aircraft.
• Under Law No. 2920 Article 102, the pilot-in-command is obliged to collect and preserve the evidence relating to offences and misdemeanours committed on the aircraft, and is authorised, personally or together with the crew under their command, to take the necessary measures in situations that threaten the safety of life and property or where delay could cause harm, to hold persons in custody (gözaltında tutmak) until law-enforcement officers take over the matter, and to search persons or their belongings. The pilot-in-command must refer the matter to the competent authorities as soon as possible (and, abroad, notify the Turkish consulate) and give a detailed report.

An insult to crew or to another passenger on a flight that lands at Istanbul can therefore reach the police at the aircraft door together with the captain's report. Words that amount to a threat, or that refer to a bomb, raise different offences; see our guide to a bomb joke at Istanbul Airport security.

7. What Are Your Rights If You Are Questioned?

If you are treated as a suspect, you must be told what you are accused of, that you can choose a lawyer and that you have the legal right not to make a statement about the accusation; if you do not speak Turkish well enough to explain yourself, an interpreter is appointed.

CMK Article 147(1) lists what must be done when a suspect's statement is taken:

1. The suspect's identity is established, and the suspect is obliged to answer questions about their identity truthfully (147(1)(a)).
2. The accusation is explained (147(1)(b)).
3. The suspect is told of the right to choose a lawyer, to benefit from their legal assistance and to have the lawyer present; if the suspect cannot choose one and wants a lawyer's help, the bar association appoints one (147(1)(c)).
4. Subject to CMK Article 95, a relative chosen by a person who has been arrested is informed of the arrest without delay (147(1)(d)).
5. The suspect is told of the legal right not to make a statement about the accusation (147(1)(e)).
6. The statement is put into a written record, which notes that it was read and signed, and, if the person refuses to sign, the reasons for that (147(1)(i)).

Interpreter. Under CMK Article 202(1), if the accused or the victim does not know Turkish well enough to explain themselves, the essential points of the accusation and the defence are translated through an interpreter appointed by the court. Under CMK Article 202(3), this also applies to the suspect, the victim and the witnesses heard during the investigation, and at that stage the interpreter is appointed by the judge or the prosecutor. Under CMK Article 324(5), the cost of an interpreter appointed for a suspect, accused, victim or witness who does not know Turkish is not counted as a trial cost and is borne by the State Treasury. A separate rule applies at trial under CMK Article 202(4): where the accused chooses to give the oral defence in another language in which they say they can express themselves better, the interpreter is one the accused chooses from the official list, and that interpreter's costs are not borne by the State Treasury.

More on the statement itself is in our guide to giving a statement (ifade) at Istanbul Airport, and on what follows an arrest in what happens at the police station after an airport arrest.

8. Step by Step at the Airport

1. Stop talking to the other person. Each further sentence can be added to the record.
2. Do not touch anyone or anything. Physical contact can raise other offences, which this guide does not cover.
3. If the police approach, stay calm and polite. TCK Article 125(3)(a) sets a higher lower limit where an insult is committed against a public official because of their duty, and under TCK Article 131(1) that form does not depend on a complaint.
4. Ask what you are accused of, and ask for a lawyer and an interpreter before giving a statement (CMK Articles 147(1)(b), 147(1)(c) and 202(3)).
5. Use your right not to make a statement if you need time (CMK Article 147(1)(e)).
6. Read the record before signing. If you refuse to sign, the reasons are noted (CMK Article 147(1)(i)).
7. Note the names of witnesses and the exact time. This can matter if you say you were provoked, or if you want to complain yourself.
8. Give an address and contact details that will work after you leave Türkiye.

If you or someone travelling with you has been stopped at Istanbul Airport or at Sabiha Gökçen over an argument or an insult, a lawyer can explain these rules in your language and look at the records you were given. Guidance can start on WhatsApp. See also our pages on criminal defence and giving a statement (ifade).