Turkey is preparing a three-phase legal plan to manage the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) giving up its armed campaign, a conflict that has lasted more than four decades and killed over 40,000 people, according to a special report by the Ekonomim news website.
The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, including the United States and the European Union. Earlier this year, the group announced that it would end its fight after its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, urged followers to lay down their weapons in February. On May 12 the PKK declared that decision official. In July about 30 fighters held a symbolic weapon-burning ceremony in northern Iraq.
Ankara’s new legal framework, expected to be launched in mid-October, will unfold in three stages. Officials have described it domestically under the slogan “Terror-Free Turkey.”
Lawmakers will first amend Turkey’s main counterterrorism laws to create a legal category for groups that renounce violence. The changes will distinguish between members who offered ideological or logistical support and those who carried out attacks. This would determine who may qualify for more lenient treatment.
The second stage will focus on sentencing. Some members who give up weapons could be eligible for reduced prison terms, probation or conditional release. Turkey already has a provision known as “effective remorse,” which shortens sentences for those who cooperate with authorities. Officials say the reforms aim to reintegrate former fighters into society.
The final stage will dismantle the village guard program, a paramilitary force created in the 1980s to fight the PKK in Turkey’s Southeast. About 66,000 locals serve as armed guards. Under the plan, they may be moved into private security roles or other jobs in the region. The legal status of senior PKK leaders who remain in Turkey will be considered separately.
The peace effort gained momentum in October 2024, when Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, urged Öcalan to call for the PKK’s disbanding and laying down of arms. The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) has facilitated the process by mediating between Öcalan, the PKK and the government.
In addition to the legal plan, the government is drafting a broader “Return Home” project. It would expand cultural and political rights for Kurds and offer social and economic support to help former fighters reintegrate, though specific details have not been made public.