From prison: PKK leader launches new roadmap initiative

Shafaq News/ On Sunday, Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), launched a new initiative aimed at resolving the Kurdish issue in Syria through a democratic framework.

In a letter addressed to the leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Öcalan outlined his vision for a democratic constitution designed to bring long-term stability to the region.

Tulay Ogullari, co-chair of Turkiye’s Democracy and Equality of Peoples Party (DEM), stated that Öcalan’s proposal extends beyond Syria, encompassing solutions for the Kurdish issue in Turkiye, Iraq, and the broader region. "His initiative seeks legal and democratic resolutions without resorting to armed conflict," Ogullari emphasized.

According to Ayşe Gül, spokesperson for the Kurdish-Turkish party, until now, Öcalan sent letters from his prison on Imrali Island, Turkiye, to three key entities: the SDF in northeastern Syria, the PKK leadership in the Qandil Mountains of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, and the Kurdish National Congress in Europe.

Turkish media reported that while the full contents of these letters remain undisclosed, they are believed to be part of Öcalan’s broader efforts to address the Kurdish issue.

Öcalan was expected to urge PKK members to lay down their arms and dissolve the party entirely—an apparent response to an initiative launched last October by Devlet Bahçeli, leader of Turkiye’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). However, no such steps have been taken so far, according to Turkish media.

Furthermore, a DEM Party delegation visited Öcalan in prison twice, on December 28 and January 22. The delegation then traveled to Iraq’s Kurdistan Region from February 16 to 19 to discuss the details of the initiative, which has been gaining momentum against the backdrop of escalating crises in Syria and Gaza.