Turkey is drafting a law that would allow thousands of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members and civilians to return home from northern Iraq as part of ongoing efforts to end a four-decade conflict, Reuters reported on Friday, citing two people familiar with the negotiations.
The sources, described as a senior Middle East official and a Kurdish political party figure, told Reuters the proposal would offer legal protection to those coming back to Turkey but would stop short of granting a blanket amnesty for crimes committed by militants.
The plan reportedly envisions the return of about 1,000 civilians first, followed by roughly 8,000 PKK fighters after individual screening. Senior commanders could be relocated to a third country instead of being repatriated, according to the report.
The bill could reach parliament later this month if the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), which has led talks with the PKK, finalizes the terms of return, Reuters said. The PKK did not immediately comment.
The proposed legislation comes as part of a peace process launched a year ago after the PKK’s jailed founder, Abdullah Öcalan, called on the group to lay down arms. The PKK later announced it would disarm and dissolve, ending its armed campaign that began in 1984 and has since claimed more than 40,000 lives.
Numan Kurtulmuş, speaker of parliament and chair of the government’s reconciliation commission, said last week that new legal measures would follow only once security agencies confirm the group has “completely dissolved.”
Tayip Temel, deputy co-chair of the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), confirmed to Reuters that talks were underway on a law enabling the “democratic and social reintegration” of PKK members. He said the plan discussed in parliament aims to cover both militants and civilians.
Human Rights Watch called on lawmakers to use the peace process to reform laws that have long been used to criminalize peaceful Kurdish activism, urging the commission to “make bold recommendations” for a post-conflict transition.
The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.