PKK–Turkey framework law: who says what
Ankara / AKP
PKK / DEM Party
What comes first: disarmament or the law?
Middle ground found
Law passes, nothing applies until disarmament is verified. MIT and the armed forces confirm, the security council signs off.
Legal clarity must come first. Fighters cannot leave the mountains with no amnesty mechanism and no answer on what awaits them.
1
Law passed before recess
Parliament adopts the framework law by end of July.
2
MIT & TSK verify
Intelligence and armed forces report on disarmament on the ground.
3
Security council confirms
Confirmation decision that the PKK has disbanded.
4
Law takes effect
Return, reintegration and legal provisions apply.
Who gets amnesty
Main sticking point
No sweeping amnesty. Law names the PKK specifically, sorts fighters into tracks. First stage limited to those with no separate criminal acts.
No sorting. Naming the PKK is fine. Categorisation is not: it would exclude the experienced cadre from any path back to Turkey or politics.
Ocalan's legal status
Open
No change to prison status in current drafts. Hard line on any formal designation.
Must be reachable. He cannot be the state's counterpart while remaining legally inaccessible.
Bahceli proposal A "coordinator" role preserving his conviction while easing contact. Bahceli unlocked the Imrali visit the same way.
State control over Kurdish mayors
Broadly agreed
Acceptable as democratisation. Ending state trustees over elected mayors is part of the package.
A test of reciprocity. The practice targeted Kurdish municipalities. Ending it measures the state's seriousness.