The Albany Gazette - Kurdish PKK criticises Turkey bill on fate of its fighters

And they warned that its provisions would remain a "dead letter" if Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), was not released from jail.

The legislation, part of efforts to end decades of deadly fighting, would allow some PKK members to return to civilian life under certain conditions but falls short of offering a general amnesty.

But Sunday's PKK statement said: "This law contains serious errors and shortcomings. The recommendations... regarding democratisation and the resolution of the Kurdish issue have not been taken into account."

"The fact it refers only to disarmament without using the term 'Kurdish' shows the issue has not been addressed in its entirety," the PKK leadership added.

The statement, carried by ANF news agency, which is close to the group, also called for guarantees that former fighters would be able to take part in political life without facing imprisonment over their political views.

The legislation is due to be debated by Turkey's parliament on Monday.

- Call for Ocalan's release -

Last year the PKK announced plans to disband and disarm, following a call from its jailed founder and longtime leader Ocalan.

But on Sunday, the group warned: "Many provisions of the law will remain a dead letter" unless 77-year-old Ocalan, in jail since 1999, was released from prison.

Ocalan last year called on the PKK to lay down its arms in response to a peace initiative launched by Turkish authorities late 2024, but his fate has not officially been decided.

Backed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the pro-Kurdish DEM party, the bill would suspend prosecutions and prison sentences for some offences between five and 10 years.

If those covered by the measure do not reoffend during that period, investigations would be dropped and sentences considered served.

However, some serious crimes such as intentional homicide would be excluded. Pro-government media have argued that that should apply to Ocalan, who is serving a life sentence.

Earlier Sunday, prominent Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtas, jailed since 2016, backed the bill, saying he hoped "another crucial step forward" would be taken in this "historic peace effort".

Demirtas, the former co-chair of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party, said the law would "radically transform the fate of our country and our region" after more than four decades of armed conflict that has claimed at least 50,000 lives.

(S.Perez--TAG)