Turkish Kurdistan

News in Brief

The Kurdish peace process in Turkey, which stalled last year, seems to be on the move again.

The Kurdish guerrilla group, the PKK, is promising to resume its withdrawal into Iraqi Kurdistan in September – as soon as the government led by prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan passes laws giving greater political and cultural rights to Kurds.

Before then, Erdogan is hoping Kurdish votes will help him become Turkey’s first directly-elected president in August.

Large numbers of Kurdish journalists, human rights activists and politicians have been released on bail, after years in prison.