Turkey’s parliament has approved a law that sets a legal framework for the dissolution of the PKK and gives limited legal protection to some former militants. The vote was held on Monday, August 10, 2026.
DR reports, citing the news agency Reuters, that the law passed with the support of 468 of parliament’s 600 members. It establishes the legal terms for the winding up of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known as the PKK.
Under the law, former militants who have not committed certain specified crimes receive limited legal protection. DR notes that prison sentences handed down for PKK membership can be suspended, allowing those individuals to be reintegrated into society. Members who have committed intentional killings, or crimes dating from before the summer of 2005, are excluded.
Reuters reported that the governing alliance submitted the draft law on August 5, 2026. According to Reuters, the measure would shield many former militants from prosecution while suspending some prison terms. Reuters also said the bill is meant to ease the return of potentially thousands of former PKK militants and civilians from northern Iraq.
AP described the bill as part of a broader peace initiative filed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party. Per AP, the PKK declared last year that it would disarm and disband. DR states that the Turkish government presents the law as part of its goal of a terror-free Turkey, with the AK Party among its backers.
Öcalan’s status left open
The PKK dissolved itself in May 2025, months after its founder, Abdullah Öcalan, called on the organization to lay down its weapons and disband. Öcalan has been held in isolation in Turkey since 1999. As DR notes, the newly adopted law says nothing about what will happen to him.
Ahead of the vote, the PKK said the bill was inadequate and that broader legal guarantees were needed for lasting peace. The party wants assurances that members can be politically active without being imprisoned for their views. It has also demanded that Öcalan be released.
The PKK began its armed campaign for Kurdish self-rule in 1984, in areas of Turkey where Kurds live. According to Reuters, more than 40,000 people have died in the conflict. The group is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.
The pro-Kurdish DEM party regards the change in the law as a victory, DR reports. AP has framed the legislation as more than a technical legal step, tying it to the peace effort that followed Öcalan’s call. Both Reuters and AP note that the practical mechanics of implementation remain limited in the available reporting.
