Turkey's parliament passes landmark law to dismantle PKK

Turkey's parliament has approved a landmark law establishing a legal framework for the disbandment of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), marking a significant step in a peace process aimed at ending a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

The legislation, passed with 468 votes in the 600-seat chamber, provides legal protections for former militants who have not committed specific crimes. It also facilitates the suspension of prison sentences for some individuals convicted of PKK membership, paving the way for their reintegration into society.

The bill drew support from President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party, its nationalist MHP allies, and the pro-Kurdish DEM Party.

This move is the most concrete action taken by Ankara since jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan called on the group in February 2025 to disarm and disband. The PKK announced in May 2025 that it would end its armed struggle, and a group of militants symbolically burned their weapons at a ceremony in northern Iraq two months later.

The PKK, designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, launched its insurgency in 1984. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, placed a heavy economic burden on mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey, and fuelled decades of political and social division.

The legislation addresses a central question in the peace process: the fate of thousands of PKK members as the group dismantles its military and organisational structures.

The process began publicly in October 2024 when MHP leader Devlet Bahceli, known for his hardline stance, unexpectedly suggested Ocalan could address parliament and announce the PKK's dissolution. A parliamentary commission established in August 2025 subsequently heard from politicians, officials, and civil society groups before recommending legislation to manage the disarmament and reintegration process.

The law does not by itself resolve broader Kurdish demands for expanded political and cultural rights, changes to anti-terrorism legislation, or the status of Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on Imrali island since 1999.

The government has described the initiative as part of its goal of creating a "terror-free Turkey," while Kurdish politicians have said lasting peace will require broader democratic and legal reforms.