Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has not yet made a decision on the possibility of releasing Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan on parole or transferring him to house arrest. This was reported by the Türkiye newspaper, noting that temporary legislative solutions are being developed for other PKK members.
According to current legislation, members of terrorist organizations sentenced to life imprisonment with aggravating circumstances cannot apply for parole or reclassification of the type of punishment to house arrest. However, new legislative initiatives being developed as part of the “Turkey Free from Terrorism“ process may allow PKK members sentenced to life imprisonment and who have spent 25 years in prison to receive conditional release for the next 10 years.
However, the newspaper writes that such a rule will not directly apply to Öcalan. He was sentenced to life imprisonment under aggravating circumstances for crimes against state security, constitutional order and national security committed within the framework of the activities of a terrorist organization. His conditional release or house arrest would require significant changes to the penal code, and transitional legislative solutions would not be sufficient. As noted by Türkiye, there are currently no decisions within the ruling party regarding Öcalan.
Meanwhile, the remaining PKK members will be able to apply for a reduction in the terms of their sentences, but without amnesty for those involved in crimes. According to the temporary rules being developed, PKK members who return to Turkey and have not committed crimes will not be imprisoned, but will be subject to judicial supervision. If they do not commit any violations within five years, their supervision will be lifted.
It is also planned to allow those convicted of PKK activities who have already served most of their sentences in prison to serve the remainder of their sentences outside of the correctional facility. But in this case, decisions will be made on an individual basis, with the gravity of the crimes committed being a key factor.
Separately, the temporary rules being developed will indicate that they can only be applied to officially recognized terrorist organizations that are in the process of being dissolved. Thus, as the newspaper notes, members of FETO, for example, will not be able to benefit from the law.