The Parliament of Turkey approved a law on Monday that establishes a legal framework to facilitate the dissolution of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), taking a decisive step towards the possible end of an armed conflict that has lasted for more than four decades and resulted in over 40,000 deaths.
The legislation includes legal protections for former PKK members who have not committed specific crimes and allows for the suspension of prison sentences for some individuals convicted of belonging to the organization. The aim is to facilitate their disarmament, reintegration into society, and transition to a life outside the armed group's structures.
The initiative was approved by 468 votes out of 600 seats in Parliament and received support from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), its nationalist allies from the MHP, and the pro-Kurdish DEM party. The broad parliamentary majority reflects the political backing that the PKK dismantling process has garnered, although significant outstanding issues remain.
The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union. The group began its armed insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, in a conflict that caused tens of thousands of deaths and had a significant economic and social impact, especially in the southeastern part of the country, which has a Kurdish majority.
The new law represents the most concrete step taken by Ankara since Abdullah Öcalan, the historical leader of the PKK who is imprisoned, called on the group in February 2025 to lay down their arms and dissolve. Months later, in May of that year, the PKK announced the end of its armed struggle and its dissolution as an organization.
Two months later, a group of militants held a symbolic ceremony in northern Iraq where they burned their weapons, a sign intended to demonstrate their commitment to the disarmament process.
