DEM Party visits imprisoned PKK terrorist leader Ocalan

Kurdish-oriented Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party deputies Sirri Sureyya Onder and Pervin Buldan are scheduled to meet with Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the terrorist organization PKK, on Imrali Island on Saturday.

Ocalan is the founding member of the PKK, a militant group that has waged an insurgency against Türkiye since the 1980s. Captured in Nairobi, Kenya in 1999, he has been imprisoned on the island of Imrali in the Sea of Marmara ever since.

In October, members of the ruling government urged Ocalan to address the Turkish Parliament, calling for the PKK to disarm and dissolve. DEM Party members, the second largest opposition party in Türkiye, are likely assessing how to address the current issue.

MHP paves way for ‘Peace Process 2.0’ with Ocalan outreach?

Nationalist-right and junior ruling government party the MHP and its leader Devlet Bahceli sent shockwaves across Turkish politics on Oct. 1. Bahceli addressing his party congress stated, “Let Ocalan speak in the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (Turkish Parliament).”

Following Bahceli’s call, DEM Party members submitted a request to the Turkish government, specifically to the Ministry of Interior, to visit the imprisoned leader. Their request has now been granted.

Despite being detained since 1999, Ocalan is still believed to carry great weight in political discourse and still wields influence over the PKK.