The legislation builds on a ceasefire announced last May, when the group pledged to lay down its weapons. The move creates a pathway for former militants to receive suspended sentences, and represents another step towards ending the long conflict.

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The new law requires the PKK’s full disarmament and was supported by more than 80 percent of lawmakers despite political opposition. The PKK, considered a terrorist organisation by the UK, EU and US, launched its insurgency in 1984. The conflict has claimed around 40,000 lives, mostly Kurdish, across Turkey, Iraq and Syria. The group has since shifted towards seeking greater Kurdish rights.