Turkish war crimes are violations of international criminal law which the official armed and paramilitary forces of Turkey have committed or are accused of committing. These accusations also extend to the aiding and abetting of crimes committed by non-state actors aligned with Turkey, including rebel groups in Syria. These war crimes have included massacres, torture, terrorism, deportation or forced transfers, kidnapping, sexual violence, looting, unlawful confinement, unlawful airstrikes and attacks on civilian structures.

The Dersim rebellion was a Kurdish uprising against the central government in the Dersim region of eastern Turkey, which includes parts of Tunceli Province, Elazığ Province, and Bingöl Province. The rebellion was led by Seyid Riza, a chieftain of the Abasan tribe. In 1937 and 1938, the Turkish Armed Forces carried out three Dersim operations against the rebellion, including the Dersim massacre, of civilians: thousands of Kurds were killed and many others were internally displaced. Twenty tons of “Chloracetophenon, Iperit and so on” were ordered and used in the massacre.