Turkish parliament passes landmark law to advance PKK peace process

ANKARA, Aug 10 - Turkey's parliament passed a law on Monday establishing a legal framework for the disbandment of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a major step toward ending a decades-old conflict that has killed tens of thousands.

The legislation provides legal protections for many former militants who have not committed specific crimes and facilitates the suspension of prison sentences for some people convicted of PKK membership, paving the way for their reintegration into society.

The law was approved by 468 votes in the 600-seat parliament after securing support from President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party, its nationalist MHP allies and the pro-Kurdish DEM Party.

The measure is the most concrete step taken by Ankara in the process since jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan called on the group in February 2025 to disarm and disband. The PKK announced in May 2025 that it would end its armed struggle and break up, with and a group of militants symbolically burned their weapons at a ceremony in northern Iraq two months later.

The PKK, designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and European Union, launched its insurgency in 1984. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, imposed a heavy economic burden on mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey and fuelled decades of political and social division.

The legislation is intended to address one of the central questions hanging over the peace process: what will happen to thousands of PKK members as the group dismantles its military and organisational structures.

The process began publicly in October 2024 when MHP leader Devlet Bahceli, long known for his hardline stance against Kurdish militancy, unexpectedly suggested Ocalan could address parliament and announce the PKK's dissolution.

A parliamentary commission established in August 2025 subsequently heard politicians, officials, civil society groups and others before recommending legislation to manage the disarmament and reintegration process.

The law does not by itself resolve broader Kurdish demands for expanded political and cultural rights, changes to anti-terrorism legislation or the status of Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on Imrali island since 1999.

The government has described the initiative as part of its goal of creating a "terror-free Turkey", while Kurdish politicians have said lasting peace will require broader democratic and legal reforms. REUTERS