Hatice Kamer

Turkey’s Parliament approved a 12-article framework law intended to support the PKK’s disarmament and regulate the return or legal treatment of its members. In Diyarbakır, many Kurds see the measure as a potentially important step toward ending decades of conflict, but remain skeptical because it does not directly address broader demands such as the release of political prisoners, an end to state-appointed trustees, equal citizenship and education in the Kurdish language. Experts say the law is internally coherent as a disarmament mechanism and may mark progress in the peace process, while warning that it leaves the causes of the Kurdish issue unresolved. The law provides for deferred prosecutions and sentence enforcement under certain conditions, excludes serious crimes, establishes government and parliamentary oversight bodies, and requires weapons to be surrendered. Its credibility will depend on swift, concrete implementation and subsequent democratic reforms.

The Van Bar Association withdrew from the Rojin Kabaiş death investigation citing a breakdown in communication with the family, while the victim’s father accused the bar president of neglecting key evidence and failing to pursue critical leads. Bar President Sinan Özaraz rejected the allegations, saying trust had deteriorated and the withdrawal did not mark a halt in institutional monitoring of the case. The Kabaiş family appointed lawyer Abdurrahman Karabulut to continue legal efforts, as new forensic findings, including two male DNA profiles on the victim, sustain suspicions of sexual assault and homicide. The Ministry of Justice reiterated that all evidence is being reexamined and pledged full investigation into whether the death was a suicide or a murder.