Turkey: parliament passes PKK amnesty law
On Monday, the Turkish Parliament passed a law aimed at ending the decades-long conflict with the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK). However, the legislation will not come into force until the PKK has been fully disbanded and disarmed. Imprisoned PKK members may then be pardoned and released. Commentators remain sceptical.
Democratisation left out
The legislation doesn't go far enough, Yetkin Report complains:
“The law implements the recommendations regarding the dissolution of the organisation, the surrender of weapons and the reintegration of its members into society, but there is not a single provision that puts the recommendations for the country's democratisation into practice. ... Democratisation and the expansion of fundamental rights and freedoms are a basic requirement not only for our citizens of Kurdish origin but for all Turks. ... There is no justification for releasing some members of the organisation while keeping other critical-minded individuals who committed similar offences in prison.”
Just election tactics?
The taz points out that electoral calculations may have played a role here:
“The Kurdish DEM [party] is hoping that this is just the start and further steps towards democratisation will follow. ... It would be a blessing for Turkey, but the reality is quite different. ... Although the constitution prohibits it, Erdoğan intends to stand for re-election in 2028. To do so, he needs DEM's votes. So is the PKK debate just a tactic used by the Turkish president to win over the DEM, as critics suspect? On the one hand, yes; on the other, however, the debate itself is already changing the reality. The Kurds don't want to give up hope, but if they want to play the game with Erdoğan they must be extremely careful not to get crushed in the process.”
Nothing decided yet
We shouldn't jump to conclusions, Milliyet stresses:
“For this law to come into force, all PKK units in northern Iraq, Iran and Syria must lay down their arms and hand over the areas and hideouts under their control. This must then be verified by the security authorities and a corresponding report presented to the National Security Council. Only then will the law come into force. In other words, nothing has been gained or lost at this point. ... Let's be realistic: social peace cannot be achieved by passing a single law. At this point we must place our trust in our common practice of coexistence and that we can avoid conflating citizens of Kurdish origin with terrorism.”