Turkish parliament to vote on bill for PKK militants' reintegration into society

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey's parliament is set to vote Wednesday on a bill that would establish a mechanism for Kurdish militants to return to civilian life after the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) dissolved last year. The legislation, which the Justice Commission approved on Friday, lays out a framework for suspending investigations and sentences of five to ten years, with cases to be dropped if no new offense is recorded before the period ends. Selahattin Demirtaş, the former co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) who has been jailed since 2016, said he supports the bill and predicted it would fundamentally reshape Turkey's future and that of the wider region. The measure excludes intentional homicide offenses and certain crimes committed before June 1, 2005 that carry life imprisonment. The bill is backed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the DEM Party, which succeeded the HDP. It does not address the status of PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan, who has been imprisoned for more than two decades. The PKK announced its dissolution last year after declaring an end to its armed campaign.