Agenda of Turkey's fresh anti-terror commission revealed early on.
The National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Commission, officially known as the Terror-Free Turkey Commission, has been established with a bold mission to address Turkey's long-standing security and political challenges. The Commission, chaired by Numan Kurtulmuş, aims to find a consensus-based solution to rid Turkey of terrorism.
The Commission recognises the importance of avoiding reforms that may appear externally driven, as such attempts often lack social legitimacy and can trigger backlash. Instead, the Commission's approach is rooted in domestic concerns, aiming to win the hearts and minds of the people by involving civil society, religious communities, business groups, and local organizations.
The Commission's main objective is to set a clear path towards resolving Turkey's terrorism problem. Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş stated that the Commission's goal is to "rid Turkey of the terrorism problem through consensus and joint steps."
The Commission is also mindful of the need for secrecy, sequencing, and controlled disclosure to avoid empowering spoilers and derailing momentum. A potential amnesty or penal reform is politically sensitive but unavoidable, according to the Commission, as it would provide a pathway for those imprisoned on charges of association or propaganda.
The Commission's agenda revolves around three interlinked dimensions: legislation, public diplomacy, and political dialogue. The Commission aims to learn from international and domestic precedents, such as Britain's negotiations with armed groups in Northern Ireland and Spain's post-ETA experience.
Legal reform is prioritised as the indispensable foundation for any peace initiative. Two pieces of legislation stand out: the Anti-Discrimination and Hate Crimes Law, and a potential amnesty or penal reform. The Anti-Discrimination and Hate Crimes Law is seen as a key instrument for reshaping the climate of mistrust between the state and Kurdish citizens, creating stronger legal protections against hate speech and systemic exclusion.
The Commission has already begun its work, with the early days seeing the floor given to the mothers of martyrs and to the Kurdish mothers who lost their children to the PKK terrorist group. Kurdish political actors and communities are closely watching the Commission's process to see if it opens space for broader identity recognition, language rights, and potential constitutional change.
Political dialogue is also part of the Commission's agenda, with the goal of balancing expectations and finding a consensus to rid Turkey of the terrorism problem. Nationalist constituencies are wary of any signal that could be interpreted as legitimizing separatism.
Public diplomacy is considered vital to build social legitimacy for the Commission's work, given the current skepticism across broad segments of society. The Commission's task is not to rewrite history but to craft a practical roadmap for reconciliation that is domestically owned, socially legitimate, and legally enforceable.
Two unresolved questions dominate the political discourse: whether figures like Selahattin Demirtas could play a role in the process, and whether the Commission's mandate will expand into constitutional reform. The Commission's success will depend on its ability to navigate these complex issues while maintaining its focus on the goal of a terror-free Turkey.
