Iran
Tulay Hatimogullari, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), speaking to Rudaw on February 19, 2025. Photo: Rudaw
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The co-chair of Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party on Wednesday said they expect jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan to release his anticipated message by the beginning of next month, to resolve the Kurdish issue in Turkey through “democracy and peace.”
“We anticipate he will release his message by the end of this month or the beginning of next month,” Tulay Hatimogullari of the DEM Party told Rudaw’s Shawkat Harki. “He will announce a new roadmap for the peace process…to resolve the Kurdish issue completely through democracy and peace,” she added.
A DEM Party delegation arrived in the Kurdistan Region on Saturday and has been holding meetings with Kurdish leaders to relay Ocalan’s messages. The delegation met Ocalan twice in recent months, in Turkey’s secluded Imrali prison island. On February 8, the DEM Party announced that Ocalan would make a “historic call” to permanently resolve the Kurdish issue in Turkey.
Hatimogullari said that they are awaiting the delegation’s return from the Kurdistan Region and “afterward, they will visit Imrali and deliver the latest information and positions to Mr. Ocalan.”
On Wednesday, Turkey’s justice minister affirmed that the DEM Party will be granted access to Imrali if a request is submitted.
Observers believe that Ocalan might ask the PKK to lay down its arms. However, the PKK has stated that it will not heed such calls unless Ocalan is allowed to physically meet the group’s leadership in person and is released from prison. For her part, Hatimogullari stressed to Rudaw that the Kurdish cause transcends the PKK’s carrying arms.
“The steps the government must take are clear and transparent. It must emphasize resolving the Kurdish issue, which did not start with the PKK carrying weapons. This is a 100-year-old issue,” she said. “We expect efforts to be intensified to resolve the Kurdish issue democratically and peacefully.”
In recent months, the DEM Party has revived efforts to negotiate an agreement between Turkey and the PKK, aiming to end the decades-long hostilities between the two sides.
Founded in 1978, the PKK initially advocated for the establishment of an independent Kurdistan but now seeks autonomy. Turkey, the European Union, and the United States classify the group as a terrorist organization.
“We anticipate he will release his message by the end of this month or the beginning of next month,” Tulay Hatimogullari of the DEM Party told Rudaw’s Shawkat Harki. “He will announce a new roadmap for the peace process…to resolve the Kurdish issue completely through democracy and peace,” she added.
A DEM Party delegation arrived in the Kurdistan Region on Saturday and has been holding meetings with Kurdish leaders to relay Ocalan’s messages. The delegation met Ocalan twice in recent months, in Turkey’s secluded Imrali prison island. On February 8, the DEM Party announced that Ocalan would make a “historic call” to permanently resolve the Kurdish issue in Turkey.
Hatimogullari said that they are awaiting the delegation’s return from the Kurdistan Region and “afterward, they will visit Imrali and deliver the latest information and positions to Mr. Ocalan.”
On Wednesday, Turkey’s justice minister affirmed that the DEM Party will be granted access to Imrali if a request is submitted.
Observers believe that Ocalan might ask the PKK to lay down its arms. However, the PKK has stated that it will not heed such calls unless Ocalan is allowed to physically meet the group’s leadership in person and is released from prison. For her part, Hatimogullari stressed to Rudaw that the Kurdish cause transcends the PKK’s carrying arms.
“The steps the government must take are clear and transparent. It must emphasize resolving the Kurdish issue, which did not start with the PKK carrying weapons. This is a 100-year-old issue,” she said. “We expect efforts to be intensified to resolve the Kurdish issue democratically and peacefully.”
In recent months, the DEM Party has revived efforts to negotiate an agreement between Turkey and the PKK, aiming to end the decades-long hostilities between the two sides.
Founded in 1978, the PKK initially advocated for the establishment of an independent Kurdistan but now seeks autonomy. Turkey, the European Union, and the United States classify the group as a terrorist organization.
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