HÜDA PAR has formally submitted a comprehensive legislative proposal aimed at legally facilitating the disbandment of terrorist organizations and advancing the goal of a "Terror-Free Türkiye."

The bill, titled the "Law Proposal on Dissolved or Deemed Dissolved Terrorist Organizations," was introduced with the joint signatures of HÜDA PAR Chairman Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu alongside Members of Parliament Şahzade Demir (Gaziantep), Faruk Dinç (Mersin), and Serkan Ramanlı (Batman).

According to the party, the proposal seeks to create a clear, realistic, and verifiable legal framework for the dissolution process of armed groups that choose to lay down their weapons and renounce violence, while also addressing structures that have effectively ceased operations.

Focus on a “Terror-Free Türkiye”

In the bill’s general rationale, HÜDA PAR argues that one of the primary responsibilities of the legal system is to ensure social peace, public order, and security. The proposal states that achieving a “Terror-Free Türkiye” requires the complete cessation of armed conflict and violence.

The party maintains that legal mechanisms facilitating the dissolution of armed organizations could contribute to long-term stability and strengthen efforts toward social reconciliation.

New Legal Definitions

The legislation introduces two new legal categories:

• Dissolved terrorist organizations: Groups that formally decide to disband, lay down arms, and are officially determined to have abandoned violence and the use of force.
• Deemed dissolved terrorist organizations: Groups that have not formally declared dissolution but have refrained from terrorist activity for at least 10 years or have effectively lost operational capacity due to declining membership and organizational weakness.

The proposal emphasizes that the framework is intended to be general in nature and based on principles of equality and fairness rather than targeting a specific organization.

Observation and Detection Board

A key component of the proposal is the establishment of an Observation and Detection Board under the Presidency.

The board would be chaired by the Vice President and include representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Justice, and National Defense, as well as a senior representative from the National Intelligence Organization (MİT).

The board would operate for one year following the law’s entry into force, with the possibility of six-month extensions by presidential decision if deemed necessary.

Reports prepared by the board would be submitted to the National Security Council (MGK) for evaluation before receiving final approval from the President.

Proposed Judicial and Penal Measures

The bill contains provisions aimed at addressing the legal status of individuals associated with organizations covered by the law.

Under the proposal, ongoing investigations and prosecutions against members, administrators, and propagandists who were not personally involved in acts of violence would be suspended. These individuals would be placed under supervised release for three years.

The proposal also includes reductions in prison terms for individuals convicted of terrorism-related offenses.

For those surrendering after the law takes effect:

• Aggravated life sentences would require 10 years of imprisonment.
• Life sentences would require seven years.
• Other fixed-term sentences would require one-third of the sentence to be served.

For individuals already convicted or currently on trial:

• Aggravated life sentences would require 15 years of imprisonment.
• Life sentences would require 10 years.
• Fixed-term prison sentences would require half of the sentence to be served.

The proposal stipulates that no individual benefiting from these provisions would serve more than 20 years in prison under the adjusted framework. Following release, beneficiaries would remain under supervised release for five years.

Strict Supervision Measures

To address public security concerns, the bill includes strict monitoring provisions.

Individuals under supervised release who commit an intentional crime punishable by more than five years in prison would lose the benefits provided by the law. In such cases, suspended investigations would resume, and interrupted prison sentences would continue from the point at which they were halted.

The proposal also excludes such individuals from benefiting from conditional release provisions.

A “First Step” Toward Reconciliation

HÜDA PAR describes the legislation as an initial step toward resolving long-standing security and social issues through legal and political means.

The bill’s rationale states that the proposal is intended to serve as the beginning of a broader process aimed at strengthening social cohesion and what it describes as the “law of brotherhood” in future stages.

The proposal is expected to generate debate in Parliament regarding its implications for security policy, judicial procedures, reconciliation efforts, and the broader goal of ending armed conflict in Türkiye. (ILKHA)