Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Turkey Monitors PKK Disarmament as Legal Reforms Take Shape

The PKK has formally disbanded, shifting to political advocacy, while Turkey drafts legal measures contingent on proof of disarmament.

Youngsters hold a photograph of Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in Diyarbakır, Turkey, Feb. 27, 2025. Mr. Öcalan issued a call that month for the PKK to lay down its arms.
PKK head Murat Karayılan announcing the party's dissolution at an undisclosed location in northern Iraq

Overview

  • The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has officially disbanded and pledged to hand over weapons, marking a major shift from armed struggle to political engagement.
  • President Erdoğan has emphasized the importance of verifying the PKK's disarmament, with Turkey's intelligence service overseeing the process across multiple regions, including Iraq and Syria.
  • The Turkish government is preparing legal proposals, including conditional releases for certain prisoners, but has ruled out a general amnesty.
  • Pro-Kurdish DEM party leaders have called for the release of nearly 10,000 political prisoners to build trust and advance the peace process.
  • PKK leaders stress that the disarmament process depends on Abdullah Öcalan's leadership and improved prison conditions, though he is unlikely to leave custody.