Turkey unveils draft law to re-integrate PKK militants, achieve peace

ANKARA – Turkey’s ruling alliance submitted a draft law to Parliament on Aug 5 meant to achieve peace with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in part by protecting many former militants from prosecution, and suspending prison sentences for many of those convicted of membership.

The bill, which is expected to pass the assembly later this week, aims to end a decades-old conflict in part by facilitating the return to Turkey of potentially thousands of former PKK militants based in northern Iraq.

Turkey’s intelligence agency MIT would verify the group’s disarmament and a committee – including the vice-president, some ministers and the head of MIT – would oversee the militants’ surrender and disarmament under the bill.

The draft law marks a leap towards ending an insurgency that has killed more than 40,000 people since 1984, sown deep discord at home and fuelled violence across borders in Iraq and Syria. REUTERS