ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s parliament was set to open debate Monday on a draft bill that would introduce a conditional amnesty for thousands of Kurdish militants, offering them a pardon-like mechanism in a bid to advance the government’s peace initiative with their insurgent group.
Last year, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, ended its decades-long armed campaign against the Turkish state, declaring a decision to disarm and disband as part of the peace effort. The move came in response to a call from its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan.
The PKK then staged a symbolic disarmament ceremony in northern Iraq, where it is based, and announced that it was withdrawing fighters from key locations in Turkey to Iraq.
The 12-article draft legislation outlines the procedures for the disarmament of the group — which still retains the bulk of its weapons — and the rehabilitation of thousands of PKK members.
The legislation would suspend some prison sentences for convicted PKK members and postpone ongoing investigations and trials for five or 10 years, depending on the severity of the alleged offenses. If no terror-related crime is committed within the time frame, the cases would be dropped.
Militants convicted of intentional killings and those sentenced to life terms before 2005 are excluded from the bill’s provisions. This applies to Ocalan and other senior PKK figures.
The proposal also sets up ministerial and parliamentary committees to monitor the disarmament process. The measures would come into effect only after Turkey’s National Security Council confirms that the group has disbanded and surrendered all weapons.
Those wanting to benefit from the law would have six months to apply after the National Security Council’s decision is published in the Official Gazette.
Media reports have said exiled PKK members and those in Iraq and Syria are expected to benefit.
The measures were expected to easily pass with the votes of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, its nationalist allies and a pro-Kurdish DEM party.
DEM has lobbied for Ocalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999, to be granted official status to coordinate the transition process, leading to his release.
The current proposal, however, makes no mention of Ocalan’s status or possible release.
Media reports have suggested however, that Ocalan’s conditions in his island prison off Istanbul will likely be improved, giving him broader visiting conditions and communication with the outside world.
The PKK has waged an armed insurgency since 1984 that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and spilled into Iraq and Syria. It has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
The group initially sought an independent Kurdish state but later shifted to demands for autonomy and expanded rights in Turkey.
Previous peace efforts between Turkey and the PKK have failed, most recently in 2015.
