Aug. 24 will mark the first meeting of an eight-member board chaired by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz to supervise the PKK’s disarmament and dissolution under Türkiye’s newly enacted framework law.
The board was created after parliament passed the 12-article Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration and President Tayyip Erdoğan signed it into force on Aug. 17.
Foreign, defense, interior and justice ministers, along with top intelligence and military officials, will form subcommittees and review the “terror-free Türkiye” process at the inaugural session.
Its report is pivotal because remaining provisions — including possible 5- to 10-year postponements of sentence execution for some members — depend on confirmation that the PKK has fully disarmed and dissolved.
The move advances a process launched in late 2024, accelerated by Abdullah Öcalan’s February 2025 call to end the insurgency and the PKK’s June 2025 pledge to disarm, followed by a weapon-burning ceremony in Iraq.
Can Türkiye’s new security board truly verify the PKK’s full dissolution, or will symbolic disarmament leave the hardest questions unresolved?
Who qualifies for sentence postponement under Türkiye’s new PKK law, and could its strict limits undermine the peace process?
Türkiye’s 2026 Disarmament Law: Inside the High-Stakes, State-Led PKK Peace Process and Its Political Gamble
Overview
In August 2026, Türkiye launched a historic peace initiative by passing and publishing the Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration, aiming to end the PKK conflict. A high-level security board, led by Vice President Yılmaz, will oversee strict verification and monitoring to ensure the PKK’s full disarmament. The law’s benefits, such as suspended sentences, only begin after the National Security Council officially confirms the PKK’s dissolution. This process, supported by an unusual alliance between Erdoğan’s coalition and the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, offers a legal exit for lower-ranking PKK members, but excludes top leaders like Abdullah Öcalan. If the PKK fails to comply, military operations will resume; if successful, the law could bring regional stability and reshape Turkish politics.