DEM meets PKK’s Öcalan: Peace hopes rise

Shafaq News/ A delegation from Turkiye’s Democracy and Equality of Peoples Party (DEM) visited imprisoned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan on Thursday, amid speculation about a forthcoming message from him.

Sources from Turkiye’s Ministry of Justice confirmed to Reuters that authorities had approved the visit, marking the third meeting since December. Officials stated that the visit is part of a broader government effort to encourage Öcalan to urge the PKK to abandon armed conflict, potentially impacting the decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.

DEM spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan told Reuters that the party will hold a press conference at 14:00 GMT (17:00 Baghdad time) in Istanbul to share details of the meeting and Öcalan’s anticipated statement. She added that they hope the message will be delivered in video format.

However, Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç ruled out this possibility, stating that “the government will not allow Öcalan to release a video message,” reaffirming Ankara’s long-standing policy.

The PKK, classified as a “terrorist” organization by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has been engaged in an armed conflict with the Turkish state since 1984, leading to tens of thousands of deaths.

Veteran Kurdish politician Ahmet Türk has submitted a request to join the visiting delegation, Doğan confirmed.

Notably, Öcalan has been held in near-total isolation at İmralı Island Prison since his capture in 1999, with only rare and tightly controlled access to the outside world.