Türkiye mulls legal change for minor offenders

ANKARA

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has announced efforts for a new legislative proposal to increase penalties for serious crimes committed by minors, following a high-profile murder that shocked the nation.

Fifteen-year-old Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi was fatally stabbed by two peers during a visit to Kadıköy with friends in January.

Public backlash intensified when it was revealed that the suspects faced a maximum sentence of 24 years due their age.

The Minguzzi family, who met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last week, criticized the lenient sentencing and called for the perpetrators to be tried as adults.

AKP Istanbul MP Müşerref Pervin Tuba Durgut stated that Erdoğan instructed relevant ministries to take coordinated measures against juvenile crime and to review the legal and penal system.

In Türkiye, even in cases of grave crimes, minors benefit from sentence reductions and are not subject to life imprisonment.

“However, this case has shown that the current system sometimes fails to serve justice,” Durgut said.

She added that work on the legal revision has already begun and will be shaped according to Türkiye’s specific legal and social dynamics.

“I hope, this will mark a positive change, led by Ahmet’s memory,” she remarked.

The party reviewed international practices in countries such as the United States, South Africa, France and the United Kingdom, which impose harsher sentences on minors in cases involving extreme violence or sexual assault.

Regarding the potential for penal action against families of juvenile offenders, Durgut acknowledged public demand on the issue.

While she stressed the legal principle of individual criminal responsibility, she pointed out that minors are sometimes exploited by organized crime groups, turning juvenile delinquency into a systemic issue.

“Therefore, it is reasonable to consider additional measures, as long as they align with legal norms,” she said.