Intentional injury

Intentional injury is conduct that intentionally causes physical pain to another person or impairs their health or perceptive ability (TCK 86/1). Most incidents reported in the press as beatings, stabbings or shootings that cause injury are prosecuted under this article.

Penalty

• Basic form (TCK 86/1): 1 year 6 months to 3 years’ imprisonment.
• Minor injury treatable by simple medical intervention (TCK 86/2): on the victim’s complaint, 6 months to 1 year 6 months’ imprisonment or a judicial fine. If committed against a woman, the minimum term of imprisonment is 9 months.

The minimum penalty for the basic form and the minimum and maximum penalties for minor injury were raised by Law No. 7550 of 4 June 2025.

Aggravating circumstances

If the injury is committed in one of the following circumstances, no complaint is required and the penalty is increased by one half (TCK 86/3):

• against an ascendant, descendant, spouse, former spouse or sibling,
• against a person who is physically or mentally unable to defend themselves,
• because of the public duty performed by the victim,
• by abuse of the influence of a public official,
• with a weapon.

If the injury is committed with monstrous cruelty, the penalty is doubled.

Serious consequences

If the injury results in a permanent mark, weakened organ function, a bone fracture, a life-threatening condition or death, the penalty increases according to the consequence. Where death results, the penalty is 10–14 years, or 14–18 years in the circumstances of the third paragraph. See injury aggravated by its consequences.

Prosecution

• Injuries other than those under Article 86(3) are eligible for mediation (CMK 253). Mediation is not available for injuries committed with a weapon or against a spouse.
• Injury against a person unable to defend themselves, injury with a weapon or with monstrous cruelty, and injury aggravated by its consequences are catalogue offences for which grounds for pre-trial detention may be presumed (CMK 100/3).

In the data

Intentional injury is not published on the site as a rate; it is available in the institutional API as location-level records (data access). Incidents committed with a firearm or a knife or blade that ended in injury are counted in the armed assault indicator.