Turkey prepares 13th Judicial Package to reform alimony and prison capacity

Turkey is preparing to introduce its 13th Judicial Package to the Grand National Assembly in October. Following a Constitutional Court decision that annulled the term “indefinitely” regarding poverty alimony, the new legislation aims to replace indefinite alimony with a time-limited system.

According to draft proposals, the duration of alimony payments may be determined based on the length of the marriage. For example, marriages lasting three years could result in five years of alimony, five-year marriages could lead to seven years, and ten-year marriages could result in twelve years of payments. Even for very short marriages of six months to one year, a minimum of five years of alimony is being considered.

In addition to family law reforms involving alimony, divorce, property division, and custody, the package is expected to address capacity issues within the penal system. There are calls to include regulations regarding criminal execution to alleviate overcrowding in prisons.