 is expected to be submitted to parliament on Monday and could enable the release of more than 4,000 prisoners, the pro-government media reported on Thursday.){kind=link}
A bill intended to provide a legal basis for Turkey’s renewed effort to end its four-decade-long conflict with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is expected to be submitted to parliament on Monday and could enable the release of more than 4,000 prisoners, the pro-government media reported on Thursday.
According to the Türkiye newspaper, the draft would not ameliorate the conditions of imprisoned PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan and would not establish a blanket amnesty for people convicted of taking part in armed acts. No official text had been made public as of Thursday morning, leaving the details subject to change.
Lawmakers are considering changes to the offense of membership in a terrorist organization, which could open a path to release for more than 4,000 convicts. It was not clear which convictions or pending cases would qualify, how courts would review them or whether prosecutors would still have other grounds for detention.
Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş has held talks with political parties over the proposal. There is preliminary agreement to pass the measure before parliament begins its summer recess, by mid-August.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) has sought safeguards for Öcalan and broader coverage for PKK members, including senior figures. The government has not publicly accepted those demands.
The PKK has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. Öcalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999, urged the group to lay down its arms and disband in 2025.