The Turkish Parliament has approved a bill that provides conditional amnesty for members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). According to information from the Financial Times, 468 out of 600 deputies voted in favor of this law.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş stated that “the laying down of arms and the self-dissolution of the armed organization will mark a new era, in which peace, brotherhood, and solidarity will prevail.”
The law, consisting of 12 articles, outlines the process of disarmament and reintegration of PKK members, including fighters located in northern Iraq. It suspends the execution of several prison sentences and freezes investigations for a period of 5 to 10 years. If those granted amnesty do not commit new crimes, their cases will be closed. However, exceptions are made for those convicted of intentional murder and those who received life sentences before 2005, including PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.
The adoption of this law is seen as an important step towards resolving a conflict that has lasted for over 40 years and claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people. As the Financial Times emphasizes, this settlement will allow Ankara to reallocate resources for operations in Syria and Iraq, as well as provide President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with support from the pro-Kurdish DEM party for his candidacy for a new term in 2028.
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