Turkey is ranked the worst performer in Europe in terms of impunity, according to the 2025 Atlas of Impunity, a global index published by the Eurasia Group that assesses impunity across the five dimensions of unaccountable governance, abuse of human rights, economic exploitation, conflict and violence, and environmental degradation.
The country placed 35th globally with a worsening record in democratic governance and the rule of law. The report points to democratic backsliding and weakening checks on power as key factors driving Turkey’s position.
Turkey’s ranking places it closer to authoritarian-leaning states in Eurasia and the Middle East, rather than aligning with its European counterparts. The erosion of electoral integrity, widespread media censorship and systematic targeting of opposition figures and activists have deepened concerns over the country’s democratic decline.
“Turkey is the region’s worst performer by far and stands apart from the rest of Europe,” the report said.
Nordic and Western European nations ranked among the most accountable, while Eastern and Southeastern Europe saw comparatively higher impunity scores — but none approached Turkey’s levels.
Turkey’s governance score of 3.02, the worst in Europe, reflects the continued weakening of institutional checks and balances, suppression of opposition voices and systematic restrictions on press freedom. The country ranks 27th globally in human rights violations, as arbitrary arrests, prolonged detentions and crackdowns on independent media persist.
The report also shows growing executive control over the judiciary, with politically motivated prosecutions becoming routine.
Despite opposition gains in the 2024 local elections, systemic barriers remain firmly in place, preventing meaningful political change.
Turkey’s decline in democratic governance has been unfolding for more than a decade, accelerating with the government’s response to nationwide protests in 2013. The Gezi Park protests, which began as a small demonstration against an urban development project in İstanbul, quickly grew into a broader movement against the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) increasing authoritarianism. The government cracked down violently, arresting protesters and stifling dissent, setting the stage for a systematic erosion of democratic freedoms.
A failed coup in 2016 marked a turning point, as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government launched a widespread purge of political opponents, civil servants, academics and journalists.
Under emergency decrees, tens of thousands were arrested, media outlets were shut down and civil society faced unprecedented pressure. The following year, a constitutional referendum abolished Turkey’s parliamentary system, consolidating sweeping executive powers under Erdoğan and eliminating key institutional checks and balances.
Since then opposition figures, particularly from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), have faced arrests, bans and politically motivated legal cases.
Judicial independence has steadily eroded, with courts increasingly used to silence critics and suppress political dissent. The 2023 elections, while technically competitive, took place in an environment where state resources, media control and judicial bias overwhelmingly favored the ruling party. The opposition managed to secure local victories despite these challenges, but the overall trend toward authoritarian rule remains firmly in place.
Turkey was ranked 117th among 142 countries in the rule of law index published by the World Justice Project (WJP).
