PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan Calls for Disarmament in Turkey

After 26 years in prison, Abdullah Öcalan calls for peace and disarmament, urging PKK fighters to lay down their arms and transition to a civilian struggle.

His message was delivered by the İmralı delegation during a conference in Istanbul, marking a potential turning point in the decades-long conflict between the PKK and Turkey.

A call that could reshape the Kurdish issue in Turkey and lead to official recognition of Kurdish political rights in the country’s constitution.

This development follows a political initiative launched in October last year by Devlet Bahçeli, leader of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

Bahçeli proposed a historic deal: the dissolution of the PKK in exchange for Öcalan’s release under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, known as the “Right to Hope.”

After this proposal, a Kurdish delegation traveled to İmralı Prison to discuss the initiative with Öcalan.

Several rounds of talks with leaders from the Kurdistan Regional Government followed, culminating in this historic call for peace.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani welcomed the message, seeing it as an opportunity to close a long and painful chapter in the region’s history.

Turkey’s first official response came from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), with a senior official stating that if the PKK disarms and dissolves, Turkey will finally be free from its constraints.

Will this call bring an end to a conflict that has lasted over four and a half decades?