Turkey enacts conditional pardon law for PKK militants

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signed a law introducing conditional pardons for thousands of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants as part of a government peace initiative. The measure, published in the Official Gazette, will only take effect once Turkey's National Security Council confirms the group has fully disarmed and dissolved itself.

The legislation allows for the suspension of certain prison sentences and the postponement of ongoing investigations or trials for five to ten years, depending on the crime's severity. Legal cases will be dropped if the individuals do not re-offend during these periods. A committee has been established to oversee the disarmament process, with its first meeting scheduled for next week.

The PKK, which is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, announced its decision to disband following a call from its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan. Notably, Ocalan and other key PKK figures are excluded from this pardon. The conflict involving the group has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths since the 1980s.