Turkey to allow Kurdish DEM party to meet jailed PKK leader Ocalan, newspaper says

By:TII team
Date:
December 26, 2024

A Kurdish demonstrators holding flags of jailed Kurdish PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan attend rally in Istanbul, Turkey, June 5, 2016. Photo: Reuters

ISTANBUL,— Turkey has agreed to allow the pro-Kurdish opposition party to hold talks with Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), who has been imprisoned on an island near Istanbul for over two decades.

The talks, expected to take place this week, would be the first such visit in nearly a decade, according to a report from the pro-government Sabah newspaper on Thursday.

A delegation from the Democratic Party of the Peoples (DEMP), a pro-Kurdish political group, is scheduled to visit Öcalan’s prison on Imrali Island as part of ongoing efforts to address the long-standing conflict between Turkey and the PKK, Sabah reported.

The exact timing of the visit was not confirmed, but it is anticipated to occur on Thursday or Friday. The source of this information was not disclosed.

The decision follows a proposal by a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who suggested using the meeting to help resolve the 40-year conflict with the PKK.

This conflict, which began in 1984, has seen more than 40,000 deaths, including Turkish soldiers and Kurdish guerrillas, as the PKK fought for greater autonomy for Turkey’s Kurdish population in Turkish Kurdistan, which makes up over 20% of the country’s 84 million people.

Abdullah Öcalan, who founded the PKK in 1974, has become a symbolic figure for many Kurds. He was captured in Kenya in 1999 and sentenced to life in prison on Imrali Island.

Despite his imprisonment, Öcalan continues to hold significant influence among Kurdish communities both in Turkey and abroad, as he is seen by many as a champion of Kurdish rights and democracy.

The move also comes amid growing concerns over Turkey’s relationship with Kurdish forces in Syria. On Wednesday, President Erdoğan issued a stern warning to the US-backed Syrian Kurdish SDF/YPG, a group he considers closely linked to the PKK, demanding that they disarm or face further consequences.

This latest development could signal a new phase in Turkey’s efforts to address Kurdish demands for cultural rights and greater autonomy, though the outcome remains uncertain.

(Credit: Reuters | Agencies)

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