Is apostasy illegal in Turkey?
Legal
Turkey is a secular country that does not legally enforce punishments for apostasy, though social pressures exist.
Turkey is one of 12 countries classified “Legal” for apostasy — 39% of the 31 with data. (Also searched as leaving a religion.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Apostasy in Islam by country
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Palestine
- Criminal offense Apostasy is treated as defaming religion, punishable by imprisonment in the West Bank.
- Jordan
- Criminal offense Apostasy is not explicitly banned in the penal code but carries serious civil and criminal penalties including prison and marriage annulment.
- Iraq
- Legal Apostasy is not explicitly criminalized in Iraq, though social and familial violence occurs.
- Kuwait
- Criminal offense Apostasy is not explicitly criminalized but family courts can annul marriages and strip property and inheritance rights.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Legal No specific apostasy law exists, though ex-Muslims face social discrimination in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Saudi Arabia
- Death penalty possible Apostasy is actively enforced with the death penalty under Sharia law in Saudi Arabia.
Other laws in Turkey
- Blasphemy Laws
- Criminal offense
- Holocaust Denial
- No specific law
- Flag Desecration
- Criminal offense
- Conversion Therapy
- No ban
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.