Turkey has secured the extradition of 76 suspects from foreign countries so far in 2026 in cases involving “ordinary crimes and terrorism offenses,” Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced.
In a statement on X on Monday, Gürlek said the largest number of extraditions came from Georgia, which returned 35 suspects to Turkey. Germany followed with 19, while five suspects were returned from Montenegro.
2026 yılının ilk çeyreğinde, Türkiye’nin yabancı ülkelerden adi suç ve terör suçları kapsamında kabul edilen iade talebi sayısı toplam 76 olmuştur.
Bu iadelerin 35’i Gürcistan’dan, 19’u Almanya’dan, 5’i Karadağ’dan, 2’si Irak’tan ve 2’si Yunanistan’dan gerçekleştirilmiştir.… https://t.co/ftDdDJdLUv
— Akın Gürlek (@abakingurlek) March 16, 2026
Two individuals were extradited from Iraq and two from Greece, the minister said.
Single extraditions were also carried out from Argentina, Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Armenia, Croatia, Kyrgyzstan, Colombia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and Italy, Gürlek said.
The extraditions were the result of cooperation led by Turkey’s Justice Ministry in coordination with the interior and foreign ministries, he added.
“The process carried out by our ministry in coordination with the ministries of interior and foreign affairs clearly demonstrates Turkey’s institutional capacity and determination,” Gürlek said.
He also thanked the authorities of the countries that cooperated with Turkey in returning the suspects as well as Turkey’s interior and foreign ministries for their role in the process.
Over the past several years Turkish authorities — particularly former interior minister Ali Yerlikaya — frequently publicized the capture and extradition of suspects abroad.
INTERPOL Red Notices are international alerts circulated among law enforcement agencies worldwide at the request of a member state seeking the arrest and extradition of a suspect.
However, Turkey’s use of the INTERPOL system has attracted criticism from human rights groups and legal experts, who say Turkish authorities have at times sought international arrest notices for political dissidents, journalists and government critics living abroad.
INTERPOL has rejected or canceled a number of Turkish requests in recent years after determining that they could violate the organization’s rules prohibiting political use of the system.
Yerlikaya was removed from his post last month along with former justice minister Yılmaz Tunç. Gürlek, a former top prosecutor in İstanbul known for overseeing investigations targeting government critics and opposition politicians, succeeded Tunç, while Yerlikaya was replaced by Mustafa Çiftçi, a former governor.