The Turkish parliament has passed a law by a large majority that offers disarmed PKK members the prospect of returning to civilian life under certain conditions. However, the position of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ă–calan remains a major point of contention.
New Turkish law provides a legal framework for disarmament and the peace process surrounding the PKK.
The law represents the first concrete legal step in the peace process regarding the PKK. The regulation is intended to provide a legal framework for the consequences of the disarmament and dissolution of the organization. The regulation is explicitly not a general amnesty. Prosecutions and prison sentences for certain PKK-related crimes can be suspended for five to ten years.
Stumbling Block
Notably, the law does not address Abdullah Öcalan. The 77-year-old founder of the PKK has been imprisoned for 27 years. Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz stated that Öcalan’s case does not fall under this law, although he could still contribute to the peace process.
This is precisely what threatens to become a major stumbling block. The PKK leadership has warned that excluding Ă–calan is a red line for them. According to the movement, without conditions in which he can live and work freely, important parts of the peace process cannot be carried out.
In Politics
The PKK also demands opportunities for political participation. The movement warns that fighters will not return to Turkey if they risk arrest there due to their previous affiliations or statements. Moreover, the PKK believes the new law should only be the beginning of further political changes.
In February 2025, Ă–calan called for laying down arms and dissolving the PKK. The organization subsequently announced a ceasefire and later declared its dissolution. In July 2025, thirty PKK fighters symbolically destroyed their weapons during a ceremony in Sulaimani.
Exceptions
The new regulation can only be fully applied once it is officially verified that the PKK and affiliated organizations have indeed been dissolved and have surrendered their weapons and ammunition. For certain crimes, including membership, leadership, aiding the organization, and propaganda, prosecutions can then be suspended.
Serious violent crimes are excluded from the regulation. People involved in murders cannot invoke it. For other former PKK members, the law should open a path to return and reintegration into Turkish civilian life.
