ANKARA, Turkey (AP) 鈥� Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signed into law a measure that would introduce for thousands of Kurdish militants as part of a government peace effort with
The measure was published in the Official Gazette on Tuesday. It will only come into force after Turkey鈥檚 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鈥檛 re-offend during those periods.
The legislation also establishes a committee to oversee the group鈥檚 disarmament, with its first meeting expected next week.
Last year, the PKK 鈥� considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies 鈥� announced its decision to , following a call by its imprisoned leader, . Ocalan and other key PKK figures are excluded from the pardon.
Soon after that, some fighters laid down their weapons in a 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.
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