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Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli reiterated his call for imprisoned PKK ringleader Abdullah Ocalan to be granted the "right to hope," while also urging the release of former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas.
Bahceli made the remarks after signing a proposed framework bill linked to the initiative, arguing that the legislation marked another step toward strengthening national unity.
"With this signature, our thousand-year brotherhood has once again been reaffirmed. Turks, Kurds and everyone, regardless of their language or identity, have won. Our 86 million citizens and the peoples of the Middle East have won. At the same time, the first step has been taken to disrupt global projects," he said, according to the statement carried out by Turkish media.
Bahceli thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus for their roles in advancing the process.
He described the initiative as a coordinated effort led by state institutions, saying Parliament had taken the necessary initiative and government bodies were carrying out the required work.
"This project is a state project. Our Parliament has taken the necessary initiative on this issue. Our state is conducting the necessary work. We will all follow this process together," he said.
"We observe the traditions of the state. Our president is closely following the process, and our parliament speaker is overseeing it. We support them. It would not be right to get ahead of the work they are carrying out," he added.
Bahceli said he remains in contact with Demirtas through his lawyers, asking about his well-being and whether he has any requests.
"Selahattin Demirtas should return home, the 'Ahmets' (former Mardin Mayor Ahmet Turk and suspended Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Ozer) should return to their duties, and Ocalan should be granted the right to hope," Bahceli said.
"Türkiye should find peace. Our goal is for Türkiye and the region to achieve peace."
The "right to hope" is a legal principle established by the European Court of Human Rights that requires prisoners serving life sentences to have a realistic opportunity for release through periodic review if they demonstrate rehabilitation.
The proposed framework bill is designed to provide the legal basis for the next phase of Türkiye's "terror-free Türkiye" initiative, which aims to complete the PKK's disarmament and dissolution.
Officials have described it as a temporary, standalone law that would set out the scope, duration, oversight mechanisms and eligibility criteria for measures linked to the process, while stressing that it would not amount to a general amnesty or a presidential pardon.
AK Party Group Chairman Abdullah Guler said Wednesday that the bill would take effect only after state authorities verify that the PKK and all of its affiliated structures have fully laid down their arms and dissolved themselves.
The proposed law is designed as a temporary, standalone legal framework to manage the disarmament process and its aftermath. It aims to reintegrate individuals who reject violence, permanently end armed activity and shift the issue entirely onto a legal and political footing, Guler explained.
The bill applies to a range of PKK-related offenses, including membership, leadership, assistance and propaganda, but excludes intentional homicide and certain crimes carrying life or aggravated life sentences.
It also provides for deferred legal proceedings or prison terms under specified conditions and requires eligible applicants to apply within six months after the government's formal decision is published in the Official Gazette.
The lawmaker stressed the bill is not an amnesty or a path to impunity, but establishes the legal framework for former PKK members after disarmament, creates an executive oversight mechanism, coordinates state institutions and provides legal protections for officials involved in the process.
The proposal was submitted to parliament with the signatures of nearly 360 lawmakers, including Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus and MHP leader Devlet Bahceli, and is expected to be taken up by the parliamentary Justice Commission after the mandatory waiting period.
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