ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed into law a bill supporting the country’s peace process with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), saying the legislation will help secure Turkey’s peaceful, prosperous and safe future.
The Law on the Strengthening of National Solidarity and Social Integration was approved by the Turkish parliament last week with the support of 467 lawmakers and published in the country’s Official Gazette on Monday.
“I wish for the Law on the Strengthening of National Solidarity and Social Integration - which was adopted in our Veteran Assembly with the support of 467 members of parliament as an example of a historic consensus and has entered into force as of today - to be beneficial for our nation,” Erdogan wrote on X.
The Turkish president said the measure was an “important step taken for the peaceful, prosperous, and secure future for Turkey,” thanking Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli, parliament speaker Numan Kurtulmus, members of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and other lawmakers who supported the legislation.
Law No. 7595, which has officially taken effect after its publication in the Official Gazette issue No. 33344 on Tuesday, establishes a legal framework for handling members of the PKK and its affiliated Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) network after the group officially disarms and ceases its activities.
Under the law, investigations, prosecutions and prison sentences for certain PKK-related offenses may be suspended for periods ranging from five to 10 years, excluding intentional murder and other serious crimes.
Individuals who commit another terrorism-related offense during the postponement period will lose the benefit and face renewed legal proceedings. Those who remain offense-free will have their cases closed or sentences deemed served.
The legislation also creates a high-level oversight committee chaired by Turkey’s vice president to monitor implementation and report to parliament. Eligible individuals must apply within six months of the National Security Council’s decision.
Erdogan praised state institutions involved in the process, saying, “We will continue to manage this process, which we have conducted with an approach that considers the sensitivities of our entire nation, particularly the relatives of our martyrs and our veterans, within the framework established by the Law and under the leadership of our relevant institutions and boards, with the same sincerity and meticulousness.”
The law comes amid renewed efforts to end the decades-long conflict between Ankara and the PKK.
Senior PKK commander Murat Karayilan on Sunday argued that the legislation does not go far enough, calling for jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan freedom and insisting he play a direct role in the peace process.
“The process needs to be led by leader Apo [Abdullah Ocalan]. In other words, leader Apo needs to have his physical freedom. Without this, nothing works,” Karayilan said in a message broadcast by PKK-affiliated Sterk TV.
Karayilan welcomed the legislation as a significant step but criticized it for failing to address Ocalan’s future status despite him being “the architect of this process.” Ocalan has been imprisoned in Turkey since 1999.
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