Turkish Parliament Passes Law for PKK Member Reintegration

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Türkiye's Parliament approved a new law creating conditional legal mechanisms for certain Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members, advancing the government’s “Terror-Free Turkey” initiative. The Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration passed with 468 votes in favor, 88 against, and six abstentions. The legislation allows for the postponement of investigations, prosecutions, and sentences for PKK/Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK)-related offenses, provided the organizations dissolve and surrender their weapons. Eligible offenses carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years or less may have proceedings postponed for five years, while those with longer sentences, including life imprisonment, may be postponed for 10 years. Intentional homicide and other serious offenses are excluded. The benefits are canceled if an individual commits another terrorist offense during the postponement period. These measures become available only after Türkiye’s security institutions confirm the PKK/KCK has ended its organizational existence and surrendered weapons, with subsequent confirmation by the National Security Council and publication in the Official Gazette. The law received broad parliamentary support, including from the governing AK Party, MHP, CHP, and pro-Kurdish DEM Party. Opposition came from the İYİ Party, which argued the law could undermine constitutional principles and function as an amnesty. The PKK was founded by Abdullah Öcalan in 1978 and began an armed insurgency against Türkiye in 1984.

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