Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç on Wednesday firmly rejected claims circulating in the media that some 700 convicted members of the PKK would be released following the terrorist group’s decision to disband, calling the numbers "absurd" and "untrue."
Speaking to the press following a ceremony in Ankara, Tunç addressed allegations regarding the release of individuals linked to the PKK following a ruling by the Constitutional Court.
"Some outlandish figures are being named, that 200 people have been released, and 700 people will be released. These are untrue," Tunç said. "This is a matter that was carried out within the framework of our Constitutional Court's decision, in terms of the balance of crime and punishment and criminal justice."
The controversy stems from the Constitutional Court’s annulment of a provision under Articles 220 and 314 of the Turkish Penal Code, which allowed individuals who were not formal members of terrorist organizations to be punished both for their actions and as if they were members.
Tunç explained that the Turkish Parliament had not made any legislative adjustments in response to the court’s ruling, which had led to complications in ongoing judicial processes, particularly for individuals involved in protests or demonstrations.
"When a person participated in an illegal demonstration, they received a penalty under Law No. 2911. However, they were subject to separate punishment, as if they were members of the organization that organized the illegal demonstration," Tunç said.
The Constitutional Court, he noted, found this dual punishment excessive for a single act and annulled the provision based on the principle of proportionality in criminal justice.
Tunç emphasized that affected individuals would still be held accountable for the crimes they committed, but could no longer be additionally charged as members of the organization unless they were proven to be such.
“The figures reported to the press are also incorrect,” he said. “Presenting it as ‘200 people, 700 people were released because they were members of the PKK’ leads to misunderstandings.”
Tunç also addressed questions about the broader terror-free Türkiye initiative, stating that the disarmament and dissolution of the PKK remain critical goals for the government.
“The process regarding the terrorist organization's disarmament is being monitored,” Tunç said. “This is being followed in full coordination with the relevant institutions of our state.”
The terrorist group, which led a bloody campaign of violence that killed at least 40,000 people over four decades, began laying down arms earlier this month.
Thirty members of the group burned their weapons at a ceremony in northern Iraq, and more are expected to abandon arms in the coming months.
Turkish intelligence monitors the process while Parliament will form a committee to weigh next steps in the initiative, from the fate of disarmed PKK members to their sentencing.
Tunç confirmed that efforts are underway to establish a commission in Parliament to support the process, with inter-party meetings and dialogue ongoing.
Tunç stressed that the government is conducting the process transparently and with sensitivity, ensuring that no steps are taken that would offend the families of martyrs or unsettle the public.
Meetings with the PKK-affiliated Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) at the Justice Ministry have been part of this process, Tunç confirmed. Issues raised, including those related to judicial practices, sick convicts and decisions by administrative boards, are being reviewed.
“Actions regarding these issues can already be taken within the framework of our legislation, and we are all closely monitoring the process,” he added.
Media outlets reported that full disarmament of the PKK may take up to five months, and the committee is expected to outline a road map for the reintegration of PKK members into society, possible leniency in sentencing of the group’s members and confidence-building measures for the integration of former members of the PKK not involved in acts of terrorism.
Reports say the initiative will also extend to PKK convicts and elderly, ill inmates convicted of membership in the terrorist group, who may benefit from leniency in their prison terms, pointing out existing laws for such convicts. But this will likely require the removal of the PKK’s status as a national threat to Türkiye’s existence, something that the National Security Council, chaired by the president, has the final say.
