Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signed into law a measure that would introduce a conditional pardon for thousands of Kurdish militants as part of a government peace effort with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.

The measure was published in the Official Gazette on Tuesday (August 18, 2026). It will only come into force after Turkey’s National Security Council confirms that the group has fully dissolved itself and disarmed.

Parliament approved the bill overwhelmingly last week. It would suspend certain prison sentences for convicted PKK members and postpone ongoing investigations and trials against others for five or 10 years, depending on the severity of the crime. Authorities would drop the cases against the individuals if they don’t re-offend during those periods.

The legislation also establishes a committee to oversee the group’s disarmament, with its first meeting expected next week.

Last year, the PKK — considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies — announced its decision to disband, following a call by its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan. Ocalan and other key PKK figures are excluded from the pardon.

Soon after that, some fighters laid down their weapons in a symbolic ceremony in northern Iraq, where the group is based, and withdrew some fighters from key locations in Turkey to Iraq.

The conflict with the PKK has killed tens of thousands of people since the 1980s.

A militant Kurdish group announced on Sunday (October 26, 2025) that it is withdrawing its fighters from Turkiye to Iraq as part of a peace effort with Turkiye.

The statement issued in northern Iraq by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, came months after a group of its fighters began laying down their weapons in a symbolic ceremony, as part of the peace process.

The group has been waging a decades-long insurgency in Turkiye that has led to tens of thousands of deaths since the 1980s.

“To prevent any risk of clashes or provocations, we are currently withdrawing all our forces within Turkiye to the Medya Defence Area with Abdullah Ocalan’s approval,” read the statement from KCK executive board member Sabri Ok, referring to the group’s imprisoned leader.