Türkiye’s parliament on Aug. 9 passed legislation expanding financial and social rights for veterans and families of those killed in service, as lawmakers also considered a government-backed framework law for a new peace initiative.
The bill was approved in a 382-0 vote in the 600-seat General Assembly after being jointly submitted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
The provisions will take effect Sept. 1 following their publication in the Official Gazette.
Under the legislation, monthly payments to the parents of fallen service members will be guaranteed at no less than the net minimum wage, regardless of the category of disability or status under which the payments are granted.
Additional payments for veterans who require care will also rise by 25 percent, bringing their payments to two and a half times the net minimum wage.
The legislation also extends social and employment-related rights granted to veterans to people who were wounded in clashes but were not formally recognized as disabled veterans.
Improvements will also be made to monthly payments for a broader group, including village guards, military cadets and civilians.
People wounded during the 2016 coup attempt who have not previously been recognized as veterans will also become eligible for monthly payments under the new law.
The legislation was passed amid protests by some veterans who have staged a hunger strike in Ankara’s Güvenpark, arguing that the bill does not meet all of their demands. The Türkiye Veterans and Families of Martyrs Foundation, meanwhile, welcomed the legislation.
Main opposition New Party leader Özgür Özel visited the protesters Aug. 6 and said an opposition-backed bill addressing their grievances had been waiting in a parliamentary commission for two years.
Özel said the proposal, also signed by the İYİ (Good) Party, would resolve all outstanding demands by veterans and families of fallen service members.
He described the government-backed bill as considerably narrower in scope, while acknowledging that it would address some problems.
The bill was submitted to parliament at the same time as a framework law intended to provide the legal basis for an anti-terror initiative aimed at ending PKK.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said the concerns of veterans and families of fallen service members would be a key consideration in the process.
“The dignity and sacred memory of our martyrs will not be harmed by any action,” he said.
