Turkey Approves a Bill That Could Free Thousands of Prisoners Tied to a Decades-Long Conflict
On August 10, 2026, Turkey's parliament voted to approve a new law that could let thousands of people tied to the PKK — an armed group that has fought the Turkish government since 1984 — leave prison early. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, and this is the country's first legislative step toward ending it.
The bill passed with 468 votes in favour, 88 against, and six abstentions Al Jazeera. It had previously been taken up by the TBMM Justice Commission on August 7 TBMM. The law pauses — but does not erase — prison sentences and ongoing court cases for five to 10 years. Turkey's parliament speaker, Numan Kurtulmuş, said that people who lay down their weapons and stop working with the PKK will benefit from the law, and that "it is by no means an amnesty" TBMM. An amnesty would mean full forgiveness. A suspension means the sentence is put on hold, and if the person breaks the rules, it can come back.
The bill was supported by two parties that usually disagree on almost everything: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party and the pro-Kurdish DEM Party. The Washington Post confirmed that the legislation would suspend some prison sentences for convicted PKK members and postpone ongoing investigations and trials for five or 10 years Washington Post.
About 3,500 prisoners are expected to be released in a first phase, which is roughly a third of the total number of PKK-linked people held in Turkish prisons. The law sets up a way for some PKK fighters who give up their weapons to return to normal life.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union. It began its armed rebellion in 1984. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people over four decades.
The move comes 18 months after the PKK's jailed founder, Abdullah Öcalan, called on his followers to give up their weapons. That call created the political conditions for the current process. The bill is the first time Turkey's government has turned Öcalan's appeal into actual law, though the law is carefully worded to avoid the word "amnesty."
The broader context here matters for understanding what comes next. The difference between a "suspension" and an "amnesty" is not just about wording in Turkish law. A suspended sentence can be put back in place if the person breaks the rules, which gives the government a way to keep pressure on those who benefit from the law. The five-to-10-year window also gives the government room to slow down or speed up releases depending on what is happening with security and politics.
The fact that the AK Party and the DEM Party both backed this bill is worth noting. These two parties sit on opposite ends of Turkish politics and have argued many times over Kurdish issues. Their agreement on this bill suggests that both sides see something to gain. The AK Party gets a real step toward ending the conflict without giving up the principle that crimes should be punished. The DEM Party gets a path to freedom for many of its supporters without asking for something the government would likely never agree to — a full amnesty.
What is still uncertain is how the PKK's fighters, especially those in northern Iraq and Syria, will react. The law only covers individuals within Turkey's legal reach; it is not a peace deal with the PKK as an organization. Of the roughly 10,500 PKK-linked prisoners in Turkey, only about a third are expected to be released at first. The rest would stay in prison. Whether more releases follow will depend on what happens with security and whether the political will lasts over what could be a multi-year process.
