March 2025 - TÜRKIYE

Türkiye has seen cross-party momentum for recognising ecocide in law. In November 2023, a citizen petition for a criminal ecocide law gained support from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). Separately, CHP MP Orhan Sarıbal submitted a draft ecocide law under administrative law, last updated in October 2023.

In early 2025, Nimet Özdemir, also from CHP, proposed a penal code amendment to criminalise ecocide, aligning with international efforts at the International Criminal Court. These developments signal broadening political and public backing for ecocide legislation in Türkiye.

Calls for criminalising ecocide have also been backed by members of several other political parties, including İbrahim Akın MP of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), as well as representatives from the İYİ Party and the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), reflecting increasing cross-party recognition of the need for stronger legal protections for nature.