Öcalan to make a new statement for boosting 'terror-free Türkiye' bid

ANKARA

Jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan is set to release a new statement on Feb. 27, a year after his first and historic call, to mark the importance of running the terror-free Türkiye project with calls on PKK brass on what needs to be done in the next stages.

According to daily Hürriyet, Öcalan’s statement will be made public by Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) authorities during a conference in the Turkish capital. Öcalan’s letter is expected to be read by DEM Party’s İmralı delegation comprised of lawmakers Mithat Sancar and Pervin Buldan.

The PKK ringleader letter is expected to review the developments since his first message in 2025 and highlight that it now entered the second stage.

Öcalan, in his first message in 2025, called on PKK to lay down its arms and bring an end to its armed struggle against Türkiye.

“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 down their arms and PKK must dissolve itself,” Öcalan had said.

In line with the message, PKK decided to dissolve itself during a congress it held in May 2025. A first batch of members publicly destroyed weapons in July, and PKK later announced it would withdraw from Turkish territory in October.

Öcalan’s second statement will concentrate more on the democratic aspects of the terror-free Türkiye especially after a parliamentary panel has recently released an advisory report that contains legal suggestions for advancing the process.

In the meantime, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek underlined that the terror-free Türkiye bid may be enhanced with some legal changes, including on the anti-terror law and law on the execution of sentences.

“However,” he said, “It is essential to observe concrete steps from the terror organization before materializing these changes,” referring to the disarmament of PKK members.