 said it is waiting for steps to allow its jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan, to "live and work freely" before it convenes a congress to lay down its arms, in line with a historic call Öcalan made earlier this year.){kind=link}
The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) said it is waiting for steps to allow its jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan, to “live and work freely” before it convenes a congress to lay down its arms, in line with a historic call Öcalan made earlier this year, the pro-Kurdish Fırat News Agency (ANF) reported.
Öcalan, who has been imprisoned on İmralı Island since 1999, in a historic statement read out in İstanbul called on PKK militants on February 27 to lay down their arms and disband, in an attempt to end a decades-long conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. In his written message, he urged the group to gather for a congress to formalize the decision.
The PKK leader issued the landmark statement as part of peace talks held with him aimed at resolving the armed conflict between the PKK and the Turkish army.
Two days later, the PKK announced a ceasefire, saying it was ready to convene the congress but insisted that “a suitable and secure environment” must first be created. The group said the process could only succeed if Öcalan were permitted to “personally direct and lead it.”
In its latest statement reported by ANF on Monday, the PKK said it continues to support Öcalan’s call but has yet to see any concrete steps to create the conditions necessary for progress. The group said that Öcalan must be allowed to live and work freely in order to manage the congress.
“We, as a movement and a people, have fully embraced Leader Apo’s [Öcalan’s] call for peace and a democratic society made on February 27,” the statement said, adding that despite the Justice and Development Party government’s “stalling tactics and military attacks,” it maintains its commitment to Öcalan’s call.
“Aware of the complexity of the issues at hand, we are cautious not to rush or be the side that disrupts the process,” said the statement issued by the PKK’s executive committee.
Founded by Öcalan in 1978, the PKK has led a bloody war in Turkey’s southeast since 1984. The group has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
The PKK also said that while a delegation from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) that has been holding talks with Öcalan and has paid him several visits in prison has made optimistic public statements, no tangible progress has been made regarding Öcalan’s situation.
The group further called on its supporters to understand Öcalan’s appeal not as a plea for concessions from the state but as a call to organize society around the principles of freedom and democracy.
“Peace can only be achieved by raising democratic consciousness, organizing society and engaging in democratic action,” the statement said, stressing the need for a “revolution of mentality and lifestyle.”
“The time is for change and transformation along the lines of peace and democratic society,” it added. “Leader Apo has undergone his revolutionary transformation and the PKK is going through its necessary change. This transformation will also involve Kurdish people, women and youths, ultimately impacting Turkey and the broader Middle East.”
Since Öcalan’s call, the peace process remains in limbo, with no visible steps taken by Turkish authorities to ease his prison conditions or to advance negotiations toward a political settlement. No official timeline has been announced, either.
Öcalan, 75, has been serving a life sentence without parole on İmralı Island since his arrest in Nairobi in February 1999.
Since his arrest there have been various attempts to end the bloodshed that erupted in 1984 and has cost more than 40,000 lives. The last round of talks collapsed in a storm of violence in 2015.
After that, there was no contact until October, when far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli offered Öcalan a surprise peace gesture if he would reject violence in a move endorsed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Since then, a DEM Party delegation has visited Öcalan and later briefed parliamentary parties on the discussions. The delegation made their fourth visit to Öcalan last week.