Turkish Parliament Approves Amnesty for Thousands of Kurdish Guerrilla Fighters as Part of Peace Process
Turkey's parliament has approved with a large majority an amnesty law for thousands of PKK fighters, as part of the peace process promoted by the government in Ankara. The law aims to disarm the organization and integrate its members into civilian life, but it will only take effect after full disarmament is verified. The organization also demands the release of its leader, Abdullah Öcalan.
Turkey's parliament approved on Monday evening an amnesty law for thousands of fighters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), aiming to advance the disarmament of the organization and its transformation into a legitimate party. The law passed as part of the peace process promoted by the government in Ankara with the Kurdish underground, which waged war against it between 1984 and 2025, resulting in about 40,000 deaths. Parliament approved the bill with a majority of 468 supporters versus 88 opponents, but it will only take effect after Turkish authorities verify that the PKK has indeed completely disarmed. The move comes about a year and a half after the Kurdish underground decided to end its armed struggle against the Turkish state, holding a ceremony in which its fighters burned their personal weapons. The decision followed a call from the leader of the Kurdish underground, Abdullah Öcalan, who has been held in solitary confinement on an island off Istanbul for nearly three decades. The new law includes 12 articles outlining procedures for disarming the PKK, rehabilitating thousands of its members, and integrating them into civilian life. The law will suspend prison sentences imposed on various PKK members and defer investigations and trials against others for five or ten years, depending on the severity of the offenses. Activists convicted of premeditated murder and those sentenced to life imprisonment before 2005 are excluded from the law's provisions. Although the law is seen as the most significant step Turkey has taken in reconciliation with the Kurds, the Kurdish news site ANF, affiliated with the PKK, published a statement on behalf of the organization saying that while the Turkish legislation is a "beginning" to resolving open issues, it still has "serious deficiencies and shortcomings." The organization called for Öcalan's release from prison and stressed that the peace process can only progress if he "lives and operates freely." It also stated that the legislation does not address demands for democratic reforms and recognition of Kurdish rights. The reconciliation process between the PKK and the Ankara government began in October 2024, after Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the far-right MHP party, unexpectedly proposed that Öcalan address parliament and declare the PKK's dissolution. Öcalan subsequently released a video message from prison, calling on his followers to disarm and participate in the democratic process in Turkey.