Turkey prepares legislation to dissolve PKK and reintegrate former fighters
Turkey's ruling coalition will introduce a draft bill to parliament aimed at ending the PKK insurgency by allowing former militants to return and be processed through the justice system.
Ankara will see the ruling AK Party and MHP present a draft statute designed to facilitate the disbandment of the PKK by managing the return of thousands of former fighters from hideouts in northern Iraq. The bill details procedures for legal processing and social reintegration, and lawmakers hope to pass it within days. Support spans most parliamentary groups, including the DEM Party, though opinion polls reveal skepticism about lasting peace.
The initiative follows a stalled peace process that began in late 2024 and a May-2025 decision by the PKK to disarm after appeals from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan. The conflict, labeled terrorist by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, has caused more than 40,000 deaths since its 1984 start.
Why it matters
The law could end a decades-long insurgency, affecting regional stability and the lives of thousands of former fighters.
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