PKK ringleader Ocalan’s statement calls for end to armed conflict in historic move
Terrorist group PKK ringleader Abdullah Ocalan along with the members of the delegation from Kurdish-oriented Dem Party.
Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed ringleader of the PKK terrorist group, issued a highly anticipated statement on Thursday, calling for an end to armed conflict. Ocalan called for PKK to lay down arms and end fighting against the state of Türkiye.
Ocalan’s statement, delivered to a delegation from Türkiye‘s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) is seen as a potential turning point in the decadeslong terrorism. Ocalan said, “I am making a call on PKK to lay down arms. I take historical responsibility on this issue. Kurds and Turks should work together based on centuries-old alliance.”
The announcement follows weeks of speculation after multiple visits by DEM Party officials to Imrali Island, where Ocalan has been serving a life sentence since his capture in Kenya, in 1999.
Full statement of PKK terror group leader Ocalan
Ocalan’s statement was read in Turkish, English, Arabic and Kurdish. Kurdish-oriented DEM Party member Pervin Buldan read Ocalan’s statement in Turkish.
The meeting marked the third direct contact between Ocalan and DEM Party representatives in recent months, fueling expectations that he would urge PKK terrorists to disarm.
Find PKK ringleader Ocalan’s full statement below:
The PKK was born in the 20th century, in the most violent epoch of the history of humanity, amidst the two World wars, under the shadow of the experience of real socialism and the cold war around the World. The outright denial of Kurdish reality, restrictions on basic rights and freedoms – especially freedom of expression – played a significant role in its emergence and development.
The PKK has been under the heavy realities of the century and the system of real socialism in terms of its adopted theory, program, strategy and tactics. In the 1990s, with the collapse of real socialism due to internal dynamics, the dissolution of the denial of Kurdish identity in the country, and improvements in freedom of expression, led to weakening of the PKK’s foundational meaningfulness and resulted in excessive repetition.
Throughout the history of more than 1000 years, Turkish and Kurdish relations were defined in terms of mutual cooperation and alliance, and Turks and Kurds have found it essential to remain in this voluntary alliance to maintain their existence and survive against hegemonic Powers.
The last 200 years of capitalist modernity have been marked by primarily with the aim to break this alliance. The forces involved, in line with their class-based interests, have played a key role in furthering this objective. With monist interpretations of the Republic, this process has accelerated. Today, the main task is to restructure the historical relationship, which has become extremely fragile, without excluding consideration for beliefs with the spirit of fraternity.
The need for a democratic society is inevitable. The PKK, the longest and most extensive insurgency and armed movement in the history of the Republic, found social base and support, and was primarily inspired by the fact that the channels of democratic politics were closed.
The inevitable outcome of the extreme nationalist deviations – such as a separate nation-state, federation, administrative autonomy, or culturalist solutions – fails to answer the historical sociology of the society.
Respect for identities, free self-expression, democratic self-organization of each segment of society based on their own socio-economic and political structures, are only possible through the existence of a democratic society and political space.
The second century of the Republic can achieve and assure permanent and fraternal continuity only if it is crowned with democracy. There is no alternative to democracy in the pursuit and realization of a political system. Democratic consensus is the fundamental way.
The language of the epoch of peace and democratic society needs to be developed in accordance with this reality.
The call made by Mr. Devlet Bahceli, along with the will expressed by Mr. President, and the positive responses from the other political parties towards the known call, has created an environment in which I am making a call for the laying down of arms, and I take on the historical responsibility of this call.
As in the case with any modern community and party whose existence has not been abolished by force, would voluntarily do, convene your congress and make a decision; all groups must lay their arms and the PKK must dissolve itself.
I convey my greetings to all those who believe in co-existence and who look forward to my call.
Abdullah Ocalan
Terror group PKK’s ringleader
A shift in conflict?
Ocalan’s statement comes amid ongoing discussions about the future of peace in Türkiye. “The time has come to transition from terrorist activities to political dialogue,” Ocalan reportedly told the delegation, according to initial reports from Turkish media.
His message is expected to be relayed to the PKK structure based in northern Iraq, where senior figures of the organization, also YPG/PYD, have yet to respond.
The PKK, which has waged an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, has been designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union.
The conflict has claimed more than 40,000 lives, with previous attempts at peace talks—most notably the 2013-2015 normalization process—ending in renewed violence.
What comes next?
Following Thursday’s statement, the DEM Party delegation held a press conference in Istanbul at 5 p.m. local time (2 p.m. GMT) to provide further details. Meanwhile, security forces remain on high alert amid concerns over how various factions within the PKK will react.
Whether Ocalan’s declaration will lead to a concrete peace process or remain a symbolic gesture depends on the response from both the Turkish government and PKK leadership in the coming days.
Background: Road to Imrali meeting and Ocalan’s statement
The latest initiative to reestablish dialogue with Ocalan was backed by Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Bahceli, who has traditionally taken a hardline stance against the PKK, made headlines last year when he suggested lifting Ocalan’s prison isolation, allowing him to communicate with the outside world.
On Oct. 15, 2024, Bahceli publicly called on Ocalan to urge PKK terrorists to lay down their arms. One week later, he went even further, proposing that Ocalan be allowed to speak in the Turkish Parliament if he denounced the PKK.
In response to Bahceli’s statements, DEM Party lawmakers first visited Ocalan on Dec. 28, 2024, followed by a second visit on Jan. 22, 2025. These meetings led to a series of political discussions, with the DEM Party engaging with opposition parties and Kurdish political figures in Iraqi KRG.
Ocalan’s statement is the result of this months-long process. However, its impact remains uncertain, as it is unclear whether the PKK structure outside Türkiye will heed his call.
What does YPG terrorist group think?
Salih Muslim, a leading member of the terror group PYD’s so-called Presidential Council, stated recently “We do not know what Mr. Ocalan will say, but we are certain that he will say something for the benefit of the (our) people. Whatever is said, the people will adhere to it. Everything we have done so far has been within the framework of his paradigm, and we have achieved results. We will continue this path.”
(This is a developing story. Updates will follow.)
