PKK disarmament signals 'new era' in Kurdish peace push, says DEM party
"With the PKK's arms burning ceremony, we are entering a new era for a solution to the Kurdish issue and the construction of a democratic Turkiye," the party said in a statement, describing it as "a turning point" for the Middle East.
The party, which played a key role in facilitating contacts between Ankara and jailed PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan, also filed a request for the release of Selahattin Demirtas, the former head of the pro-Kurdish HDP party, which later became DEM.
"We have filed a request with the Ankara (court) for the release of the former HDP co-chairs... who have been unlawfully held hostage for years," it said.
The charismatic 52-year-old has been jailed since 2016 and last year, was sentenced to 42 years for his alleged role in a series of deadly protests that happened a decade earlier.
The statement also referred to his former co-chair Figen Yuksekdag, 53, who was sentenced in 2024 to 30 years on charges of terrorist propaganda.
"We wholeheartedly salute this historic initiative for disarmament and transition to democratic politics by the Group for Peace and Democratic Society," DEM said, referring to the group that destroyed its weapons earlier on Friday.
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