Turkish parliament set to debate PKK disarmament legislation

Türkiye's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has submitted a bill to parliament aimed at providing the legal framework for the disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), marking another step in the group's dissolution process.

The draft legislation, backed by around 360 lawmakers, was formally submitted to the Grand National Assembly, Abdullah Güler, head of the AK Party's parliamentary group, told reporters.

"The bill, which has been signed by around 360 lawmakers, has been submitted to the General Assembly of parliament," Güler said.

The 12-article bill is expected to be debated and put to a vote on August 7.

The legislation is intended to establish the legal basis for implementing the PKK's disarmament and dissolution, a process that Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş has said should be formalized before lawmakers begin their summer recess.

The initiative follows developments that began in February 2025, when imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan called for the group's dissolution. Öcalan, who is serving a life sentence on terrorism-related charges, urged an end to the organization's decades-long armed campaign.

In May, the PKK voted at a party congress to dissolve itself and bring its nearly 50-year conflict with the Turkish state to an end.

The group's disarmament process officially commenced on July 11 in northern Iraq. Turkish lawmakers subsequently established a special parliamentary commission to oversee and monitor the implementation of the disarmament process.

By Vafa Guliyeva