Turkey's parliament approves conditional pardon and legal protections for PKK members

Turkey's parliament on Monday approved legislation offering a conditional pardon and legal protections to thousands of members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

After around 12 hours of debate, lawmakers voted 468 to 88 in favor of the 12-article bill, with six abstentions. It was backed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party, its nationalist MHP allies and the pro-Kurdish DEM party.

What does Turkey's new PKK law provide?

The law sets out procedures for the PKK's disarmament and dissolution and the reintegration of some members into civilian life. The government has stressed that it is not a general amnesty.

Some prison sentences would be suspended, while investigations and trials could be postponed for five or 10 years depending on the offense.

If those covered commit no terrorism-related crime during that period, cases would be dropped and sentences considered served.

Around 3,500 PKK-linked detainees could initially be released, lawmakers said. Media reports suggest exiled members and fighters in Iraq and Syria could also benefit.

People convicted of intentional killings and some serving life sentences are excluded.

When will the law take effect?

The measures will only come into force once Turkey's National Security Council confirms that the PKK has dissolved and surrendered all weapons.

Those seeking to benefit would then have six months to apply. Ministerial and parliamentary committees are also due to monitor the process.

Turkey’s Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz called the vote a "historic step", saying "the 468 'yes' votes are of the utmost importance in terms of political consensus".

What happens to Abdullah Ocalan?

The law does not cover imprisoned PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan, 77, who has been held on Imrali island near Istanbul since 1999.

Yilmaz said Ocalan's case "does not fall within the scope of this law", but added that he could remain "in a position to contribute to the peace process".

Ocalan has been central to the initiative. In February 2025, he urged the PKK to disarm and dissolve and pursue Kurdish rights through democratic means.

The PKK announced its dissolution in May 2025. Two months later, militants symbolically burned weapons at a ceremony in northern Iraq and the group said it was withdrawing fighters from Turkey.

What does the PKK say?

The PKK has called the legislation a "beginning" but said it contains "serious shortcomings and deficiencies."

It has demanded Ocalan's release and said the process can move forward only if he "lives and works freely."

The group also said fighters would not return without guarantees that they could engage in politics without prosecution over their views or organizations.

Pro-Kurdish DEM lawmaker Gulistan Kilic Kocyigit said: "The people of Turkey, who have paid a heavy price for many years, now have an opportunity to consolidate peace and build democracy."

Why is the bill controversial?

Nationalist opposition lawmakers accuse the government of making concessions to the PKK.

"How can you negotiate with terrorists? You said they would be laying down their weapons unconditionally," said Turhan Comez, a lawmaker with the nationalist opposition Iyi party.

Iyi Party leader Musavat Dervisoglu also said the law "would pave the way" for Erdogan to remain in power. Erdogan could run again if parliament calls an early election during his current term.

Why does the conflict matter?

The PKK launched its insurgency in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed, and the conflict has caused major economic damage in Kurdish-majority southeastern Turkey and fueled decades of political and social division.

The PKK initially sought an independent Kurdish state but later shifted toward demands for autonomy and expanded rights.

It is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

Previous peace efforts failed, most recently in 2015.

The initiative could also have regional effects, including closer Turkish-Iraqi ties and implications for efforts to integrate areas in Syria administered by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with Damascus.

The SDF's dominant militia, the People's Defense Units (YPG), is seen as an offshoot of the PKK, and is considered by Ankara to be a terrorist organization.