Turkey’s PKK Peace Law Brings Hope to Mothers, Anguish to Veterans
The law creates a framework for militants to return from northern Iraq and suspend some prison sentences, a step toward ending a 40,000-death insurgency.
- On Monday, Turkey's parliament passed legislation establishing a framework for the PKK's disbandment, enabling militants to return from hideouts in northern Iraq. The move marks a major step toward ending an insurgency that killed 40,000 people and cost more than $2 trillion.
- Jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan initiated this process last year by calling for the PKK to disband, an agreement reached three months later. The initiative could become a legacy achievement for President Tayyip Erdogan after his 23 years in power.
- Conflicting reactions emerged as mothers in Diyarbakir hope for their sons' return, while military veterans protest the law as "pardoning" the PKK. Association head Erdem Cercioglu called them "baby killers, cruel people who have no understanding of humanity."
- Convincing society that peace is coming remains difficult, said Aydin Erdem of Istanbul-based KONDA Research and Consultancy. He told Reuters it is hard for society to digest because members were called "baby killers" for the last three decades.
- Broader Kurdish demands for political rights or the status of Ocalan, imprisoned on Imrali island, remain unaddressed by the new law. Hatice Yasar, whose sons joined the PKK, warned that while she wants peace, she distrusts the state.
16 Articles
16 Articles
The Turkish parliament has adopted the first framework law that should provide a legal framework for the ongoing peace process with the PKK. What does the law envisage, why is it controversial and what does it mean for the future of the peace process.
In the 1990s, he fled to Germany because he was threatened with the death penalty in Turkey, and now he should be deported. A former high PKK official is suing his deportation and is right. The judges find such clear words that the authority is still revoking its decision in the courtroom.
Turkey's PKK peace law brings hope to mothers, anguish to veterans
After the self-dissolution of the PKK in Turkey, the federal government could also shut down the repression. Nix there, explains the Interior Ministry.
The Federal Office for Migration wanted to deport a former member of the PKK. However, the Gelsenkirchen Administrative Court sees the danger of torture in Turkey.
Turkey’s PKK peace law brings hope to mothers, anguish to veterans
Longing to be reunited with her son, Ayten Elhaman was glued to the television all day as Turkey’s parliament debated and passed a law this week enabling Kurdish militants to return home under a peace process to end their decades-old insurgency. She recalled how Bayram had left his job in a bakery one morning nine […]
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