DEM Party group heads to İmralı sans Önder

ISTANBUL

From left to right, DEM party delegation for Öcalan visits, Pervin Buldan, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Ahmet Türk.

Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) lawmaker Pervin Buldan and lawyer Faik Özgür Erol headed to the İmralı prison island off Istanbul on April 21 to meet with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.

The party confirmed the visit as DEM Party's Sırrı Süreyya Önder remains in intensive care following major heart surgery.

Buldan and Önder were part of a DEM Party delegation that met Öcalan three times since December. The third meeting included Erol, DEM Party co-chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları Oruç and Tuncer Bakırhan, former Mardin Mayor Ahmet Türk and lawyer Cengiz Çiçek.

Following the third meeting, party officials on Feb. 27 relayed Öcalan’s message calling on PKK to disarm and dissolve.

On April 10, Önder and Buldan held a landmark meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the presidential complex in Ankara — the first direct contact between the Turkish leader and pro-Kurdish party representatives in nearly 12 years.

National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief İbrahim Kalın and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy leader Efkan Ala were also present.

Önder was hospitalized late on April 15 after suffering cardiac arrest. Doctors diagnosed a tear in his aorta and conducted a 12-hour emergency operation, including bypass surgery and aortic grafting.

An April 21 statement from the hospital said the 62-year-old deputy parliament speaker remains in critical condition.

"It was seen that there was no infection in the tissues, no bleeding at the surgical site. Most importantly, we saw that the right heart had started to contract," the statement read.

"Our efforts continue... We still have serious concerns from a neurological perspective with high risks. We will continue to wait patiently."

The DEM Party said on April 20 that Önder will not be removed from the İmralı delegation. "Our party has not discussed this issue on its agenda. Our first priority is the recovery of our friend," read a statement.