Polygamy in Turkey

Turkey is a predominantly Muslim nation that has abolished polygamy, which was officially criminalized with the adoption of the Turkish Civil Code in 1926, a milestone in Atatürk's secularist reforms. Penalties for illegal polygamy are up to 2 years imprisonment.^[1] Turkey has long been known for its promotion of secularism^[2][3][4] and later introduced even stricter bars on polygamy. Even the ruling moderate AK Parti effectively banned polygamists from entering or living in the country.^[5]

Although illegal polygamy is very rare in Turkish society, the practice still exists in the Kurdish-populated rural southeast.^[6][7]