Imprisoned PKK leader calls for new laws to advance peace with Turkish government

Ankara, Turkey — The jailed leader of a militant Kurdish group in Turkey on Friday pushed for new legislation to advance a peace initiative with the Turkish government in the wake of their decades-long conflict.

Abdullah Ocalan’s plea came a year after he issued his historic call for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, to lay down its arms and disband itself.

His latest message was read in parliament by a senior member of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party, weeks after a parliamentary committee recommended a series of reforms to support peace efforts – including measures to reintegrate PKK members who renounce violence.

“Transition to democratic integration requires laws of peace,” read Ocalan’s message.

“We aim to close the era of politics based on violence and open a process based on democratic society and rule of law,” MLA Parvin Buldan read out the message.

“We invite all sections of the society to create opportunities and take responsibility in this direction,” it said.

The PKK has waged an armed insurgency in Turkey since 1984 that has killed tens of thousands and spilled into neighboring Iraq and Syria. The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

Following Ocalan’s February 27, 2025 announcement, the PKK said in May it would disarm and disband, ending more than four decades of hostilities.

The group later held a symbolic disarmament ceremony in northern Iraq — where its fighters had long found safe havens during the insurgency — and burned dozens of weapons in a cauldron before beginning to withdraw its remaining fighters from Turkey to Iraq.

Earlier this month, a multi-party parliamentary commission recommended a series of reforms, including the reintegration of PKK members who renounce violence, but stressed that prosecutions should be tied to state security agencies verifying that the group surrenders its weapons.

Among other measures, the commission called for measures to expand freedom of expression, release elderly or sick prisoners, and ensure that non-violent acts are not prosecuted under anti-terrorism laws.

On Friday, the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM, also called for the adoption of such legal measures.

“The state and the executive branch have an obligation to continue this process with seriousness and a determination that matches Mr. Öcalan’s speed for a solution,” said Tunsar Bakirhan, co-chairman of the DEM party. “Now the onus is on the state and the executive branch.”

Ocalan, 76, has been convicted of treason since 1999 on Imralı Island off the coast of Istanbul. Despite his imprisonment, he continues to have significant influence over the PKK. The group initially wanted an independent Kurdish state but later shifted to demands for autonomy and expanded rights in Turkey.