Turkey Extradites 197 Criminals from 31 Countries, Says Justice Minister

Turkey’s Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced that 197 individuals accused of crimes were returned to Turkey during the first half of 2026. The extraditions involved cooperation with 31 foreign states, using the principle of reciprocity in legal assistance.

The largest numbers came from Georgia (85 persons) and Germany (52 persons). Smaller groups were received from Greece (9), Montenegro (8), Bulgaria (6), the Netherlands (3) and Kyrgyzstan (3). One person each was extradited from a further list of countries that includes Croatia, Iraq, the United Kingdom, Italy, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Poland, Argentina, Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia‑Herzegovina, Armenia, France, Colombia, Kosovo, Hungary, Moldova, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

The operation was coordinated by the Justice Ministry together with the Interior and Foreign Ministries, and officials said future extradition requests will be handled more selectively, with strict monitoring of each case.