Turkey approves conditional pardon bill for PKK militants

Turkey’s parliament approved a conditional pardon-like measure Monday for thousands of Kurdistan Workers’ Party militants, taking the country’s first legislative step toward ending a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people since 1984.

Lawmakers voted 468-88 in favor of the 12-article bill, with six abstentions, Al Jazeera reported. The measure will not take effect until Turkish authorities verify that the PKK has fully disarmed, dissolved and surrendered its weapons. The group is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

The legislation lays out procedures for disarmament and for the return of some fighters to civilian life, without granting a full amnesty. It would suspend some prison sentences for convicted PKK members and postpone ongoing investigations and trials for others for five or 10 years, depending on the severity of the alleged offenses. If no terror-related crime is committed during that period, the cases would be dropped.

Militants convicted of intentional killings and those sentenced to life terms before 2005 are excluded. That means the bill does not apply to Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK’s imprisoned founder, or other senior PKK figures.

The PKK announced last year that it was ending its decades-long armed campaign against the Turkish state and dissolving itself, after a call from Ocalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999. The group later held a symbolic disarmament ceremony in northern Iraq, where it is based, and said it was withdrawing fighters from key locations in Turkey to Iraq.

Turkey’s National Security Council must confirm that the PKK has disbanded and given up all weapons before the law can be implemented. Those seeking to benefit from the measure will have six months to apply after the council’s decision is published in the official gazette. The bill also creates ministerial and parliamentary committees to monitor the process.

“With the armed organization laying down its arms and dissolving itself, we will build a new era in which peace, brotherhood, and solidarity will prevail,” Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus told reporters after the vote.

Al Jazeera reported that lawmakers expect the initial phase to include the release of about 3,500 PKK-linked detainees, roughly a third of those held in Turkish prisons. NPR reported that media accounts have said exiled PKK members and those in Iraq and Syria are expected to benefit.

The PKK-linked ANF news outlet carried a statement from the group calling the legislation a “beginning” but saying it has “serious shortcomings and deficiencies.” The PKK called for Ocalan’s release, saying the peace process can move forward only if he “lives and works freely.” It also said the bill does not address demands for democratic reforms and Kurdish rights.

Gulistan Kilic Kocyigit of the pro-Kurdish DEM party told parliament, “The people of Turkey, who have paid a heavy price for many years, now have an opportunity to consolidate peace and build democracy.” She added, “Of course, the proposal has shortcomings, and we now have a responsibility to address these shortcomings.”

Musavat Dervisoglu, leader of the center-right nationalist Good Party, opposed the measure, saying it “would pave the way” for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stay in power. NPR reported that the legislation could help Erdogan seek support from DEM to remain in office beyond the presidential two-term limit if parliament calls an early election during his current term.

Previous peace efforts between Turkey and the PKK have failed, most recently in 2015.