Attorney Bedia Teymur asked, Minister Gürlek answered: The law will not enter into force until the organization is completely dissolved.

07.08.2026 12:50

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, responding to Haberler.com Editor-in-Chief Av. Bedia Teymur's question regarding the 'Terror-Free Turkey' process, shared all the details of the new legal regulation. Minister Gürlek stated that for the law to take effect, the PKK/KCK must lay down its arms and completely dissolve, announced that those involved in killings are definitively excluded from the scope, and that they have prepared a 50-article informational booklet for public questions.

The 13th Digital Media Workshop organized by the Turkish Internet Journalism Association (TIGAD) has begun in Iğdır. Bedia Teymur, Esq., Editor-in-Chief of Haberler.com, who attended the workshop, asked Justice Minister Akın Gürlek striking questions about the "Terror-Free Turkey process" and "internet media."  

"WILL IT REALLY END TERRORISM, OR WILL IT BE A PACKAGE SPREAD TO EVERYONE?"

Beginning her question by thanking Minister Gürlek, Bedia Teymur, Esq., said, "This is actually a very important topic, 'Terror-Free Turkey.' We have endless support, and we know that many grievances have truly been experienced in this regard. I would like to ask you to make an assessment on this. Will this really end terrorism, or will it actually be a package of peace, tranquility, and something that spreads to everyone? What exactly is its content?"

"WILL THERE BE A REGULATION IN THE LAW REGARDING FAKE ACCOUNTS?"

Asking her second question, Bedia Teymur drew attention to the disruptions in the digital media sector, stating, "Internet media truly is still not where it deserves to be. We mentioned internet media, and we are in the digital age. In this digital age, as you also said, it has reached a point where we are now struggling not with individual laws, but with individuals who open fake accounts, one by one, and do whatever they please. We are also fighting these on an institutional level. Because with our institutional identity, established over 20-30 years, what could these institutions do, I mean, at most how much harm could they cause?

Based on this, the damage one person could do by opening a fake account would be zero compared to that. And I have said this before, when I participated in a study with Mr. Okan, I said: First, it is necessary to legally prevent those who open fake accounts and do whatever they please.

Now, as you know, Mr. Minister, we have Law No. 5651, and in this law, the provisions that completely absolve these so-called hosting providers of responsibility for fake accounts need to be removed as soon as possible. We are responsible for all our content, but they are in no way responsible for the people for whom they open accounts. When a person opens an account, the question 'for what purpose should it be opened?' should be asked. Will there be a regulation on this in a digital law? And we will support it wholeheartedly—I am also a lawyer and we work extensively on this."

MINISTER GÜRLEK: THE LAW IS VERY SIMPLE, BUT PEOPLE HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS IN MIND

Minister Gürlek thanked Bedia Teymur, Esq., Editor-in-Chief of Haberler.com, for her questions, noted that he had met Bedia Teymur in Istanbul and they had spoken before, and elaborated on the first question regarding the "Terror-Free Turkey" topic: "Terror-Free Turkey is truly very important. Look, if there is terrorism in a country, I'm not just talking about peace, security, and public order; investors won't come, and there will be no legal security. Turkey has seen this; this scourge of terrorism has likely been in this region for 40 years. We have spoken with our esteemed Member of Parliament and our esteemed Governor about this region. People now absolutely want terrorism to end. Look, surveys were conducted here; 91% of our citizens want the 'Terror-Free Turkey' process to proceed. Following this, two years ago in Ahlat, these meetings were held after a statement by the esteemed Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, then speeches were made, and finally, its legal regulation was enacted.

The law is actually very simple, but of course, people have a few questions in mind. There are questions like, 'Will Apo be released or not?' Let me tell you this: Because we specifically drafted and wrote these articles of the law for Terror-Free Turkey and contributed to Parliament, we also know the justifications; we know which article serves what purpose. The first article of this law, the entry-into-force article: The PKK and KCK armed terrorist organization must absolutely dissolve itself with all its elements, lay down its arms, and this law will enter into force only after the organization's liquidation is certified. In other words, this law will not enter into force unless these things happen first. The organization must dissolve completely, lay down all its arms, be liquidated, and these must be determined and certified by the National Security Council. So this is the first article, the introductory article. After this happens, the other provisions will come into effect. That is, once the organization is dissolved, lays down its arms, is liquidated, and the National Security Council makes a decision saying, 'Yes, the law can now enter into force here,' then after being published in the Official Gazette, the law will enter into force."

"WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THE LAW?"

Continuing to explain the details of the regulation, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said: "Of course, there is a segment that will benefit from this law. Their numbers exist; there are 2,600, there are 3,800. Here, of course, we have made a gradual regulation. Individuals involved in armed killing acts—whether abroad or domestically, even if currently imprisoned—are definitely excluded from this scope as an exception. They will not benefit in any way. But there are individuals who will benefit from this scope. These are written in the second article of the law. These include: propaganda, being a member of an organization, and establishing and managing an organization. In other words, individuals who are inside or abroad without participation in killing acts will benefit from this law.

And look, this is not so easy either. Here, we also established a board; in Article 7 of the law, there is a board. There is a board chaired by our Vice President, comprising the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Interior, and the Secretary General of the National Security Council. This board will decide whether these individuals will benefit from the law and whether their civil rights will be restored. There is a discretionary element; the board is not obliged to evaluate every application positively. But this is the thing: Ultimately, we want terrorism to end. This outcome is important. Terrorism will end, and hopefully, all our citizens want this too. A Terror-Free Turkey means a bright future for the country, its tomorrows, the arrival of investment, the arrival of employment, and the proper functioning of the rule of law. The outcome is very important. Of course, there will be debates and dissenting voices on this, but we, and you, especially need to explain this correctly to the people. Here, as the Ministry of Justice, we have prepared a 50-article pocket guide in summary form regarding the questions our citizens are asking. Citizens ask on the street: 'Will Apo benefit?' No, he will not. 'After how many years can these people come and engage in politics in Turkey?' We have prepared answers to such questions. This is a new law; hopefully, it will pass through Parliament with the participation of the major parties."

"THE LAW IS BEING IMPLEMENTED BUT IT HAS DEFICIENCIES"

Minister Gürlek, who also answered Attorney Bedia Teymur's second question, stated the following: "Law No. 5651 exists and is being implemented, but there are deficiencies in this law. Especially in internet media, there must definitely be a responsible person, and a news site must have a masthead. It certainly exists, but generally fake names are used here.

As for the social media law, as I said from the very beginning, if this social media law is passed, 90% of these problems will be solved. First of all, there will be a responsible person using it on social media, there will be a responsible person in internet journalism, and whoever opens a social media account will also be responsible. In every crime, the prosecutor's office will not interrogate the owner of the social media account; we have written this down. There will be 'catalog crimes'; if there is suspicion that these crimes have been committed, the prosecutor's office or the court will write and say, 'Who is the owner of this account?' Then the responsibility of the account owner will emerge. Regulations regarding 5651 can be made, and I also agree with the points you mentioned. Because since we come from practice with our prosecutors, we are experiencing difficulties. We write a letter saying, 'Who is the responsible person for this site, this website?' and we get no response. Why? Because there is no responsible person. In other words, there is no tax registration, no editor-in-chief, nothing at all; there is no address, no contact address, no branch. They have completely set up an account from there, just like that. These must definitely have rules. "