Turkey’s Erdogan signs law offering conditional pardon for thousands of PKK militants

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signed legislation that offers conditional pardons for thousands of Kurdish militants as part of a peace deal with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The measure, published in the Official Gazette, will take effect once Turkey’s National Security Council verifies the group’s dissolution and disarmament.

Parliament approved the bill with a large majority the previous week. Under the new law, prison sentences for convicted PKK members will be reduced, with ongoing investigations and trials postponed for five or ten years, depending on the seriousness of the crime. The individuals must not re-offend during those periods for the charges to be dropped.

The legislation also creates a committee to monitor the group’s disarmament, with its inaugural meeting scheduled for next week. The PKK, deemed a terrorist organization by Turkey and Western allies, recently announced its decision to disband, following a call from its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan. Some fighters have already laid down their arms in a symbolic ceremony in northern Iraq, withdrawing from key locations in Turkey.

The PKK's conflict with Turkish authorities has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths since the 1980s.