Turkish bill paves the way for a historic settlement with Kurdish militants
The proposed legislation does not include a clear settlement regarding the status of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999 on İmralı Island, off the coast of Istanbul.
Turkey’s ruling coalition is expected to submit a bill to Parliament today, Wednesday, that could facilitate the dissolution of the party by allowing the return of thousands of former militants, whose uncertain fate has long represented one of the main obstacles to the peace process, according to official media outlets and one of the leaders of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
The bill, details of which first emerged in November, focuses primarily on organizing the return of PKK militants and civilians based in areas of northern Iraq where they are concentrated. It also establishes legal mechanisms for dealing with their cases and facilitating their reintegration into society.
Reports indicate that other fighters could benefit from conditional release and legal measures lasting between five and ten years, depending on the charges brought against them, in what could effectively amount to a limited form of amnesty.
According to the available information, however, the legislation does not provide any clear solution regarding the status of Abdullah Öcalan, the party’s imprisoned leader, who has been held on İmralı Island near Istanbul since 1999.
Lawmakers are expected to approve the legal framework later this week, in a move that would represent significant progress toward ending a conflict that has claimed more than forty thousand lives since 1984, deepened divisions within Turkey, and fueled cross-border violence in Iraq and Syria.
The bill enjoys broad support in Parliament, although opinion polls reveal skepticism about its ability to achieve lasting peace, as well as continuing public sensitivity regarding the return of former PKK members to Turkey.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, together with its nationalist allies in the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has endorsed the draft legislation, entitled “National Solidarity and Social Integration.”
Abdullah Güler, head of the AK Party’s parliamentary group, told journalists that the bill would be introduced today, Wednesday.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party, along with most other political parties, including the main opposition party, has also announced its support for the proposal.
In a message conveyed by the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party, Abdullah Öcalan expressed confidence in the process, stating that Turkey stands “at the beginning of a democratic transformation no less significant than the founding of the Republic” in 1923.
For his part, Tuncer Bakırhan, the party’s co-chair, described the initiative as the beginning of an era “in which politics replaces weapons and the rule of law replaces conflict,” while warning that such an opportunity may not arise again.
The peace process between Turkey, which possesses NATO’s second-largest army, and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party began in late 2024. However, it faced setbacks earlier this year following the outbreak of the war with Iran and growing concerns about the possible expansion of regional instability.
In May of last year, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party decided to disarm and dissolve itself in response to an appeal issued by its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan. Turkey, the United States, and the European Union designate the PKK as a terrorist organization.
The group took up arms in 1984 and initially sought to establish an independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey. It later shifted its focus toward achieving regional autonomy and securing political rights for the Kurdish population.
