El parlamento turco aprueba un proyecto de ley similar a un indulto para miles de militantes del PKK

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey's parliament on Monday approved legislation that would introduce a conditional pardon for thousands of Kurdish militants in a bid to advance the government's peace initiative with their insurgent group. Legislators voted 468-88 in favor of the measure that would only come into effect after Turkish authorities have verified that the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, has fully disarmed. The PKK announced last year that it is ending its decades-long armed campaign against the Turkish state, declaring a decision to dissolve itself as part of the peace effort. The move came in response to a call from its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan. World Kurdish militant group PKK declares ceasefire after decades of conflict with Turkey The group then staged a symbolic disarmament ceremony in northern Iraq, where it is based, and announced that it was withdrawing fighters from key locations in Turkey to Iraq. The measure, which is a step toward ending a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people, could have implications beyond Turkey's borders, leading to closer Turkish-Iraqi ties. It could also support the Syrian government's efforts to integrate areas that were under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, affiliated with the PKK. It also offers Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the opportunity to court the support of the pro-Kurdish DEM party to help him remain in office beyond the presidential two-term limit. Erdogan could run again if parliament calls an early election during his current term. The 12-article legislation outlines the procedures for the group's disarmament and the rehabilitation of thousands of PKK members. It will suspend some 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 alleged offenses. If no terror-related crime is committed within the time frame, the cases will be dropped. Militants convicted of intentional killings and those sentenced to life terms before 2005 are excluded from the bill's provisions. This applies to Ocalan and other senior PKK figures. The proposal also sets up ministerial and parliamentary committees to monitor the disarmament process. The measures will come into effect only after Turkey's National Security Council confirms that the group has disbanded and surrendered all weapons. Those wanting to benefit from the law will have six months to apply after the National Security Council's decision is published in the official gazette. Media reports have said exiled PKK members and those in Iraq and Syria are expected to benefit. "With the armed organization laying down its arms and dissolving itself, we will build a new era in which peace, brotherhood, and solidarity will prevail, " Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus told reporters following the vote. The PKK-linked ANF news outlet carried a statement from the group in which it said that the Turkish legislation is a "beginning" to resolving the outstanding issues but has "serious shortcomings and deficiencies. " It called for Ocalan's release from prison, saying that the peace process can move forward only if he "lives and works freely. " It also said that the legislation failed to address demands for democratic reforms and Kurdish rights, adding that PKK fighters would not give up their weapons and return to Turkey "if, upon returning to Turkey, they are unable to engage in demo