 in northern Iraq to burn their weapons, describing it as a major step toward ending the group’s armed campaign.){kind=link}
Turkish political leaders on Friday welcomed a symbolic ceremony held by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq to burn their weapons, describing it as a major step toward ending the group’s armed campaign and an “irreversible turning point” in efforts to achieve lasting peace, Deutsche Welle’s Turkish edition reported.
The event, held near the Jasana Cave in Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, saw a group of 30 PKK militants — 15 women and 15 men — set their weapons on fire in the presence of a visiting delegation and under the supervision of the group’s senior figures.
#Breaking | DEM Party representatives and @KurdistanRegion envoy heading to Jasana Cave where the first group of PKK fighters lay down arms today to shift from armed to political struggle in Turkey. pic.twitter.com/GZkaYOPMZp
— Sardar Sattar (@SardarSattar) July 11, 2025
The move followed a public call by the PKK’s imprisoned founder Abdullah Öcalan, who on Wednesday issued a seven-minute video message from İmralı Island urging the group to adopt democratic politics and end its armed conflict after more than 40 years.
Öcalan’s appearance — his first on video since his capture in 1999 — marked a pivotal moment in a political process launched earlier this year and known variously as the “Terror-Free Turkey” initiative by the government and the “Peace and Democratic Society Process” by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).
Among the 30 militants who took part in the ceremony was Besê Hozat, co-chair of PKK-affiliated umbrella network the KCK Executive Council.
The event was not open to live media coverage, but some 200 journalists watched a recording of the ceremony on a screen in Sulaymaniyah’s Dukan district, after last-minute security adjustments prompted a change of plans.
The first group of PKK guerrillas officially laid down their weapons in the historic Jasana Cave, located in the Dukan district west of Sulaymaniyah.
More on: https://t.co/Y9iJSCKWXv pic.twitter.com/9mj9lKkozu— Peregraf (@PeregrafNews) July 11, 2025
A larger delegation of approximately 150 people — including political leaders, rights defenders and civil society figures from Turkey — traveled to the region to witness the occasion, with representatives from the DEM Party, the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), the Peace Mothers Council and the Free Lawyers Association (ÖHD) among those in attendance.
In a joint statement titled “Peace and Democratic Society Group,” PKK figures said, “We are destroying our weapons of our own free will in order to continue our struggle for freedom, democracy, and socialism through democratic politics and legal means.”
The group added that its move was based on the expectation of “democratic integration laws” and would be followed by further steps if conditions allowed.
The Turkish government responded positively to the developments, with ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesperson Ömer Çelik calling the moment “a critical threshold” in achieving a Turkey free of terrorism.
He said ongoing consultations between the DEM Party and other political actors had helped advance the process and emphasized the need for full dissolution of all PKK branches and illegal structures in the shortest possible time.
Far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s key ally whose call last October is widely seen as triggering this phase of the peace process, also praised the gesture.
“Effective today, the separatist terrorist organization has begun to surrender its weapons,” Bahçeli said, calling the move “positive and heartwarming” and a “turning point” after decades of violence and lawlessness.
He noted that “bad memories will be left behind” as the country moves toward a new century marked by peace and unity.
Bahçeli also credited the DEM Party for acting with “a sensible and responsible political line,” saying the party had upheld a spirit of brotherhood with “balanced and accurate words.”
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, has waged an armed insurgency since 1984, with the conflict claiming more than 40,000 lives.
Öcalan’s February 27 call from prison was followed by a decision made at a congress on May 7, when the group formally announced its intention to dissolve.
The process has been described by some observers as a third attempt at peace between the Turkish state and the Kurdish movement after previous efforts undertaken in 2009 and 2012 failed.
The DEM Party, which played a key mediating role, met with President Erdoğan and later with the minister of justice ahead of the ceremony, reiterating its call for a transparent and law-based transition to peace.
While the initial step was largely symbolic, both Kurdish and Turkish actors have indicated that more concrete measures — including amnesty mechanisms and political reintegration frameworks — are expected to follow.
In its statement the group expressed hope that “this step we are taking will bring peace and freedom to all our people, especially women and youths, to the people of Turkey and the Middle East, and to all humanity.”
The Turkish government has not yet announced any legislative roadmap, but ruling party officials have suggested that further progress depends on “the sincerity and completeness of the laying down of arms.”
With regional tensions mounting and Turkey’s political landscape still tense after the March arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, observers say the success of this initiative may depend on the state’s ability to follow through with legal reforms and inclusive political dialogue.
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) officials did not release an immediate statement, but CHP presidential candidate İmamoğlu said last month that “permanent peace cannot be achieved without the rule of law and the return of democratic politics.”
İmamoğlu, who was visited by a DEM Party delegation in prison, called for the formation of a special parliamentary commission to oversee the next steps.
For now, Friday’s ceremony in Sulaymaniyah is seen as a symbolic breakthrough, one that could shape the trajectory of Turkey’s democracy and its long-troubled relationship with its Kurdish population.