A majority of Turkish lawmakers on Wednesday backed a bill providing a limited and conditional amnesty for members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), marking the first legislative step in a process aimed at ending decades of armed conflict.
The bill, titled “Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration,” was signed by 360 of the 592 lawmakers in the Turkish Parliament and is expected to be put to a vote soon.
The signatories include lawmakers from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), its ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).
The newly formed New Party (Yeni Parti), the main opposition group in parliament, did not join the initiative, saying it had not been given access to the text.
“I hope that this measure, which aims to rid Turkey once and for all of the terrorist threat, to strengthen our national unity and solidarity, and to consolidate the climate of peace in our country and our region, will bear fruit,” Erdoğan said on X.
“The draft law … drawn up following extensive consultations was presented today to our parliament with broad consensus, reflecting our nation’s determination to find solutions.”
The proposed law does not specify what will happen to Abdullah Öcalan, the 77-year-old founder and longtime leader of the PKK, who has spent 27 years in prison on İmralı Island in northwestern Turkey.
Öcalan responded to the peace initiative by calling on the PKK to renounce armed struggle, dissolve itself and surrender its weapons.
Restoring peace and brotherhood
The bill “constitutes a basic framework that represents the first step in the legislative process” aimed at “restoring peace and brotherhood” in Turkey and the region, according to its preamble.
It would establish a mechanism allowing PKK members to return to civilian life in Turkey after the organization “has ceased to exist in practice and handed over all weapons and ammunition under its control.”
The process would require Turkey’s National Security Council (MGK) to confirm the PKK’s dissolution in a decision published in the Official Gazette.
Investigations and sentences related to establishing, managing, financing or promoting the PKK, as well as membership in the group, would be suspended for periods ranging from five to 10 years, depending on the charges.
If a beneficiary commits no repeat offense during the suspension period, investigations would be closed and sentences would be considered served, amounting to a de facto amnesty.
The bill excludes intentional homicide and crimes carrying aggravated life sentences or life imprisonment that were committed before June 1, 2005.
A council comprising several ministers and Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, along with a parliamentary committee, would oversee the implementation of the law.
Six months for applications
PKK members seeking to benefit from the law would have six months to apply once it takes effect.
The bill also provides for the registration of weapons surrendered or declared by PKK members.
“Today, we are opening a new page in Turkey’s political history. This law is an opportunity for all of us. … It is a signature for peace, democracy and our shared future,” DEM Party co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan said.
“The most critical stage of this process is the disarmament and dissolution of the PKK terrorist organization in all its elements, as determined and confirmed by the state security forces,” AKP parliamentary group chair Abdullah Güler said.
Parliament’s Justice Committee will examine the bill on Friday before it is submitted to a vote in the general assembly.
Under a fast-track procedure, the legislative process is expected to be completed by the weekend or early next week.
The peace initiative began in October 2024 at the urging of MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli, a key ally of Erdoğan. The process seeks to end a conflict between the PKK and the Turkish state that has claimed at least 50,000 lives since the group launched its armed campaign in 1984.
This article is republished from Turkish Minute.
