The TCK 299 and 301 as tools of repression: Files piled up as pressure increased
Ministry data reflected the growing pressure. In 2024, the number of people investigated under TCK 299 and 301 reached 55,354, while the number of people investigated on the grounds of “inciting hatred and hostility among the public” rose to 2,905.
The pressure on social opposition in Turkey has been steadily ramped up year after year. Numerous investigations have been launched, validating the criticism of legal experts who argue that “the judiciary has become a tool of the government.” Statistics from the Ministry of Justice for 2024 reveal the extent of this pressure. Under various penal code articles long criticised for being used as instruments to silence the opposition, the number of legal files has reached striking levels during AKP governments.
Citizens who raised their voices against Turkey’s economic crisis and the 19 March Operations were effectively criminalised and subjected to repression. The Ministry of Justice's 2024 data highlights the dramatic increase in legal cases opened under articles 299 and 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).
THOUSANDS OF NEW CASES IN 2024
According to 2024 statistics from the Ministry of Justice, numerous citizens, both young and old, were investigated under TCK articles 299 and 301. These articles include offences such as insulting the president and crimes “against the signs of the state’s sovereignty and the respectability of its organs.” In 2024 alone, 25,033 new cases were opened by public prosecutors under these articles. Including newly opened cases and those carried over from 2023, the total number of cases under TCK 299 and 301 reached 55,459.
TOOL OF REPRESSION AGAINST PROTESTERS
The number of suspects involved in these cases was recorded as 55,354, while the total number of alleged offences across all cases reached 75,714.
A similar pattern was seen under Article 216 of the penal code, which covers “incitement to hatred and hostility among the public” and is often used to criminalise those protesting injustice or criticising the economic crisis. As of 2024, 1,218 cases under TCK 216 had reached the prosecution phase in criminal courts. These cases involved 1,335 suspects and 1,402 alleged offences.
The data also draws attention to cases under Law No. 2911, which regulates the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations and is often cited in obstruction of protests. Recalling the interventions against those joining protests on 19 March against injustices, Ministry of Justice records show that in 2024, 3,506 people were prosecuted in criminal courts for alleged violations of this law.
Note: This text has been translated from the original Turkish version titled Muhalefete TCK 299 ve 301 sopası: Baskı arttıkça dosya kabardı, published in BirGün newspaper on April 11, 2025.
