A hard-line Turkish politician suggests parole for an imprisoned Kurdish leader

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The leader of Turkey’s far-right nationalist party that’s allied with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised the possibility Tuesday that the imprisoned leader of a militant Kurdish group could be granted parole if he renounces violence and disbands his organization. The unprecedented statement Tuesday comes amid speculation that Erdogan is seeking support from Turkey’s pro-Kurdish political party in parliament to enact a new constitution that could allow him to stay in power for unlimited terms. Kurdistan Workers’ Party leader Abdullah Ocalan is serving a life term on a prison island off Istanbul since 1999. Erdogan, in a televised speech after Bahceli’s comments, said that a “historic window” was opened by the ruling alliance. Turkey considers his group a terrorist organization.