Türkiye's ruling alliance on Wednesday (5 August) submitted a bill to parliament aimed at advancing peace with the outlawed PKK by offering legal protections to former militants who disarm.
The draft legislation, introduced by the ruling AK Party and its nationalist coalition partner, the MHP, would suspend prison sentences for some people convicted of PKK membership or of assisting the group.
It would also provide legal protections for former PKK members who were not involved in violent attacks and who voluntarily return to Türkiye within six months of the law coming into force.
The bill is expected to be approved by parliament later this week with the support of Türkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM Party, making it the most significant legal step in the peace process to date.
Under the proposed legislation, Türkiye's National Security Council would verify the PKK's disarmament, while a dedicated committee comprising the vice president, cabinet ministers and the head of intelligence would oversee the process.
PKK members convicted of serious crimes, including the group's long-imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, would not be eligible for legal protections under the bill.
The bill's introduction follows Öcalan's public appeal last year for the PKK to lay down its arms and disband, a call later endorsed by the group's leadership based in northern Iraq.
Following a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the bill's submission to parliament marked the "next phase" of ongoing efforts to end the decades-long conflict.
The PKK is designated as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the U.S. and the European Union, and has waged an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.
According to government estimates and international agencies, the conflict has claimed more than 40,000 lives, including civilians and members of the security forces, and has spread into northern Iraq and Syria.
Supporters say the legislation could encourage thousands of former PKK members to return from northern Iraq, helping to bring one of the region's longest-running insurgencies to an end.
Critics, however, question whether the year-old disarmament process can deliver lasting peace after previous attempts to resolve the conflict ended in failure.
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