Ocalan, Kurdish Independence Leader, Calls for Laying Down Arms

DIRYABAKIR, FRIDAY – Thousands of people took to the streets rejoicing and crying happily in the city of Diryabakir, which is predominantly Kurdish in southeastern Turkey, Thursday (27/2/2025). They watched and listened to a recording of a speech containing a quote from the leader of the separatist group, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan (76). In the recording broadcast from Istanbul, Ocalan, who is still in exile in prison on Imrali Island, Bursah Province, ordered all Kurdish fighters to lay down their weapons and disband the PKK.

Ocalan has led the Kurds' struggle for years to form their own state separate from Türkiye.

The Associated Press news agency, Friday (28/2/2025) reported, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the development in Turkey a glimmer of hope for peace. The Kurdish armed rebellion broke out in Turkey since 1984 to establish a Kurdish state that experienced pressure from the Turkish government.

"All struggle groups must lay down their arms. The PKK must disband. I take full responsibility for this historic decision," Ocalan said in a statement written from his solitary confinement where he has been held since 1999.

Ocalan was arrested by Turkish intelligence with the help of the United States in Kenya, Nairobi in 1999, and then imprisoned in Turkey. The statement to lay down the arms was read by Turkish parliamentarians from the pro-Kurdish DEM Party.

Ocalan's announcement came four months after the Turkish government proposed a peace deal to Ocalan, who led the resistance for more than 40 years. Ocalan co-founded the PKK in 1978 and the organization had a base in Syria in the 1990s.

The war between the Turkish central government and the Kurdish rebellion has cost tens of thousands of lives. Kurds live in Türkiye, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

“Today is a holy day. Blessed day. We long for peace and freedom," Emine Atact (45) told AFP journalists in Diryabakir. He was with at least 3,000 people who gathered in the city square to hear a speech quoting Ocalan's edict.

Another resident, Ferha Akbuyuk (65) praised Ocalan's message as a step towards peace and brotherhood between Kurds and Turks. "This is a message of humanity, human rights, law enforcement and equality," Akbuyuk said.

However, there is also pessimism among citizens. Sukru Erdogan (52) said there was no message about federalism or Kurdish cultural rights. "I am disappointed," he said.

Despite being in prison for more than 25 years, Ocalan still has a large influence in the PKK. Analysts estimate that the call to lay down arms may have been heard by most PKK members. However, there are factions that still choose the path of armed resistance.

Ocalan's statement was delivered in response to the peace initiative put forward by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in October 2024. The proposal was initiated by Devlet Bacheli, a Turkish far-right politician who proposed amnesty for Ocalan if he would stop the path of violence and dissolve his organization, which was categorized as a terrorist by the Turkish government.

The Turkish-Kurdish peace proposal comes as Erdogan needs the support of his Democratic Party in parliament to enact a new constitution that would allow Erdogan to extend his rule.

The current Turkish constitution does not allow Erdogan, who has been in power since 2003, to continue leading Türkiye unless he can hold early elections to change the constitution. For that he needs the support of the DEM Party.

The DEM party has long demanded democratization, rights for Kurds and improvements in Ocalan's imprisonment. Türkiye has not said what it has promised the Kurds as part of the peace-building effort.

Iraq, in a statement from its foreign ministry, welcomed Ocalan's call to lay down arms, calling the move "positive and important" for achieving stability in the region.

Likewise, the leader of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, said: “We see this initiative in a positive light because it is about peace here.”

Turkish Kurdistan Regional Leader Nechirvan Barzani praised Ocalan's edict. In a post on X, Barzani urged PKK leaders to respect and immediately carry out the order for the sake of the peace process.

The German Foreign Ministry also welcomed the development, which it hopes will end decades of separatism. Germany is home to many Turkish immigrants, including Kurds who have been involved in clashes between Turkey and the Kurds.

Observers say Ocalan’s announcement is a major breakthrough in Turkey’s peace efforts. “Ocalan’s order for the PKK to lay down its arms and disband is a major step not only for Turkey but also for the Middle East,” said Verisk Mapplecroft senior analyst Hamish Kinnear.

The next question is, to what extent is this question accepted by the Kurdish militant leaders in northern Iraq.

French historian Boris James, an expert in Kurdish studies, said the reaction of the fighters could be mixed. “The PKK leadership may be receptive. But the fighters on the ground may have a different attitude,” James said.

With the US-backed Kurdish forces in the Syrian Defence Forces (SDF) fighting the Syrian government and Turkish-backed militias, Kinnear said the attitude of PKK leaders in Turkey will be a determining factor in whether the path to peace continues.

There has been no official stance from the Turkish government. However, Efkan Ala, a senior official of President Erdogan's main party, said he was optimistic that peace would be achieved. "If this terrorist organization orders to lay down its arms and disband, Türkiye will be free from one of the problems that has been shackling us," he told Turkey's Anadolu news agency.

Since Ocalan was imprisoned in 1999, repeated peace talks have been held without achieving the expected results. After supporting the approach to Ocalan in October 2024, Erdogan has not commented much on Turkish-Kurdish peace talks.

Erdogan's government has also arrested hundreds of opposition figures, activists, journalists, and removed mayors from the DEM Party on charges of being linked to (Kurdish) terrorist networks.

Despite continued pressure on the Kurds, many in Türkiye hope that Ocalan's announcement will provide concessions to the Kurds, who make up 20 percent of Türkiye's 85 million population. (AP/AFP)