Jailed Kurdish Leader Calls for PKK to Lay Down Arms

• Feb 27, 2025

Abdullah Ocalan Urges Dissolution of PKK to End Decades of Conflict

Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has called for his movement to lay down its arms and formally disband. His message, conveyed through a letter read out by pro-Kurdish MPs, marks a significant step toward ending more than 40 years of armed conflict in southeastern Turkey that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.

The 75-year-old leader delivered his statement following a lengthy meeting with MPs on Imrali, the isolated island in the Sea of Marmara where he has been held in solitary confinement since his capture in 1999.

Ocalan’s announcement comes months after Devlet Bahceli, an influential ultra-nationalist leader and ally of the Turkish government, initiated efforts to resolve the long-standing conflict.

“There is no alternative to democracy in establishing and advancing a political system,” Ocalan stated in his letter. “Democratic consensus is the fundamental path forward.”

Addressing members of the PKK, Ocalan urged all factions to abandon armed struggle, declaring that the organization must dissolve itself. He emphasized that the PKK was initially formed due to a lack of democratic avenues but acknowledged that recent political developments had created a more suitable environment for a peaceful resolution.

Bahceli, who has long advocated for military action against the PKK, surprised many in October by engaging in dialogue with pro-Kurdish MPs in parliament. He even suggested that Ocalan could be granted parole if he renounced violence and dismantled the PKK. His remarks were met with cautious approval from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other political figures.

The conflict, which began when the PKK took up arms in the 1980s, has claimed around 40,000 lives. Violence surged between 2015 and 2017 after the collapse of a fragile ceasefire. More recently, in October, the PKK claimed responsibility for an attack on Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) headquarters near Ankara, which resulted in five deaths.

Ocalan’s call for disarmament now raises the possibility of a new chapter in Turkey’s struggle with Kurdish militancy, though it remains unclear how PKK factions will respond to his appeal.