Criminal Defense Lawyer in Istanbul

A Turkish criminal file moves quickly, in Turkish, and most of the damage is done before anyone explains what is happening. It rarely stays inside the courtroom either: the same file can cost you your residence permit and your right to board a plane out. Istanbul Attorneys defends foreign nationals and expats from the first hours in police custody through to appeal. Our founding partner Oruç AYGÜN leads criminal and enforcement work, supported by the firm's corporate and cross-border experience for white-collar and asset-related cases.

Criminal procedure in Türkiye is governed principally by the Turkish Criminal Code (TCK, Law No. 5237) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CMK, Law No. 5271). The first hours decide the case. Whatever you say in your first statement will be read back to you in court, sometimes two years later, and it cannot be taken back. That is why the phone is answered at 3am.

Police custody (gözaltı) and your rights

Your nationality changes nothing here. The CMK gives you the right to silence, to be told what you are accused of, to have a lawyer present when you give your statement (ifade), and to have a relative and your consulate told where you are. Those rights exist whether or not the officer in front of you mentions them.

Custody in ordinary cases may not exceed 24 hours, plus the time strictly needed to bring you before the prosecutor; for offences committed collectively this can be extended, but only by written order. If you do not speak Turkish, an interpreter must be provided free of charge. We come to the station, read the file and stop the statement if you have not understood what you are being asked.

• Immediate attendance at the police station or Anti-Smuggling / Financial Crimes unit
• Sitting with you before your ifade (statement), so you know what you are signing
• Requesting consular notification and, where relevant, a qualified interpreter
• Challenging unlawful searches, seizures and detentions
• Preparing for the prosecutor and, if needed, the judgeship of peace (sulh ceza hâkimliği)

Arrest, judicial control and pre-trial detention

After custody, the prosecutor may release you or refer you to a judge who decides between three outcomes: unconditional release, release under judicial control (adli kontrol), or pre-trial detention (tutuklama). Judicial control is the middle path — it can involve a travel ban, an obligation to sign at a police station, bail, or a residence restriction. Our aim is always the least restrictive measure that keeps you free and, wherever possible, able to leave the country.

If detention is ordered we object, ask for release at every review, and prepare the trial in the meantime. On paper, detention in Türkiye is exceptional. In practice you have to argue it, hearing by hearing, with a file that shows why you are not going anywhere.

Being questioned is not being charged. Being charged is not being convicted. Every stage has a defense, and every stage has a deadline. Most of the damage we are asked to undo was done in a room with no lawyer in it.

Interpol Red Notices and extradition

Many foreigners first learn of a problem when they are stopped at Istanbul Airport or a routine police check flags an Interpol Red Notice. A Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant — it is a request by another country to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending an extradition request. In Türkiye, a provisional arrest can lead to proceedings before the Heavy Penal Court (Agir Ceza Mahkemesi), which decides whether extradition is legally permissible.

Extradition can be refused on several grounds — where the offence is political in character, where there is a real risk of an unfair trial or ill-treatment, where the conduct is not a crime under Turkish law, or where the request concerns a Turkish national. We prepare the defense to the extradition request, challenge the underlying notice where possible, and coordinate with counsel in the requesting country. Because a Red Notice frequently overlaps with an entry ban or deportation decision, we run both tracks together.

Entry bans, deportation and the immigration overlap

A criminal investigation or conviction rarely stays confined to the criminal file. Under the Law on Foreigners and International Protection (Law No. 6458), an ongoing case, a conviction, or even an administrative suspicion can produce an entry ban (a tahdit code such as a G-series restriction) or a deportation decision. These are administrative measures, decided by the migration authority, and they carry their own appeal deadlines — separate from the criminal proceedings. If your matter touches your right to remain in or return to Türkiye, read our guidance on entry bans and deportation and let us align both defenses.

White-collar and financial crime

International business brings international exposure. We defend foreign directors, shareholders and investors in white-collar matters under the TCK, including fraud (dolandiricilik), breach of trust (guveni kotuye kullanma), forgery of documents, embezzlement, money-laundering allegations, and offences arising from company and tax disputes. These cases often run parallel to civil and commercial claims, and our corporate team works alongside the defense to protect the business as well as the individual. Where a dispute involves enforcement of a foreign judgment or asset recovery, we coordinate with our recognition and enforcement practice.

Cyber-crime, drugs and offences at the border

We also act in cyber-crime cases (unlawful access to systems, data offences and online fraud under the TCK), drug-related offences — which Turkish law treats with particular severity — assault, threats, and offences uncovered at customs or the border. The charge changes; the method does not. Hold the line in the first hours, control the statement, then take apart how the evidence was gathered. Search warrants, phone downloads and chain of custody are where these files are usually won or lost.

Giving a statement (ifade) and appeals

Your ifade is evidence, not a conversation. It is written down, signed and read again by every judge who touches the file. We prepare you for statements before the police, the prosecutor and the court, and we ensure interpreters are accurate. If a conviction follows, Turkish law provides a two-tier appeal — to the Regional Court of Justice (istinaf) and, on points of law, to the Court of Cassation (Yargıtay). We run appeals ourselves rather than pass them on. The istinaf deadline is short — seven days — and it is not forgiving.

If someone is in custody right now, message us on WhatsApp and skip the rest of this page. If it is not urgent, contact the firm and we will tell you plainly whether you need a defense lawyer yet.