diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 18d6aec17..0aeed8477 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
 
 ### Fixed
 
+* **Moderation**: Role hierarchy check added to all moderation actions — moderators can no longer act on members with an equal or higher top role; guild owner bypass uses `owner_id` (cache-safe); bot-vs-target role check prevents `discord.Forbidden` errors when the bot's role is insufficient (#1227)
 * **Moderation**: Interaction deferral handling across all moderation modules; improved error handling in slowmode channel conversion; enhanced guild config caching and embed handling in CommunicationService and ExecutionService; added assertions for case and jail role in unjail operation
 * **Event handling**: First ready state marked even on setup failure to prevent unnecessary expensive checks on retries
 * **Error handling**: Enhanced error logging with context information; improved error handling in moderation coordinator with proper task cancellation
diff --git a/src/tux/modules/moderation/__init__.py b/src/tux/modules/moderation/__init__.py
index d2faaeb3e..6844ee2d1 100644
--- a/src/tux/modules/moderation/__init__.py
+++ b/src/tux/modules/moderation/__init__.py
@@ -97,6 +97,30 @@ async def moderate_user(
         **kwargs : Any
             Additional case data
         """
+        # Role hierarchy checks: only apply when the target is a guild member
+        if (
+            ctx.guild
+            and isinstance(user, discord.Member)
+            and isinstance(ctx.author, discord.Member)
+        ):
+            # Use owner_id (always available) instead of owner (may be None if uncached)
+            if (
+                ctx.author.id != ctx.guild.owner_id
+                and user.top_role >= ctx.author.top_role
+            ):
+                await self._respond(
+                    ctx,
+                    "You cannot moderate a member with an equal or higher role than yours.",
+                )
+                return
+
+            if ctx.guild.me.top_role <= user.top_role:
+                await self._respond(
+                    ctx,
+                    "I cannot moderate this member because their role is equal to or higher than mine.",
+                )
+                return
+
         await self.moderation.execute_moderation_action(
             ctx=ctx,
             case_type=case_type,