Turkey's Justice Ministry gathers data for PKK case review that may free 4,500 detainees

Turkey’s Justice Ministry has issued an urgent request for data on individuals involved in PKK-related cases, targeting pre-trial detainees, convicted prisoners and fugitives in every province. The information will feed a comprehensive review of about 80,000 case files that include more than 100,000 suspects, with an initial estimate of roughly 4,500 possible releases. The review is mandated by a law enacted in August that permits suspension of sentences only if the PKK, its umbrella organization KCK and related groups have halted armed actions and handed over weapons, a determination to be made by security agencies and.

Courts will then reassess detention and supervision orders where legal grounds no longer exist. The process follows a peace push that began after MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli urged PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan in October 2024 to call for disarmament, a request Öcalan fulfilled in February 2025, leading the PKK to announce a ceasefire and dissolution. An earlier peace effort collapsed in 2015, making this latest initiative a critical step toward ending the four-decade conflict.