Latest news with #Peoples'EqualityandDemocracyParty
Rudaw Net
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Turkish soldier killed in Kurdistan Region
Also in Kurdistan Sulaimani cousins missing three years after attempted asylum journey Low water levels halt power production at Dukan Dam Kurds are 'our brothers in arms': French consul general Kurdish opposition parties plan united front for federal election A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Turkish soldier was killed in the Kurdistan Region on Saturday after stepping on a mine during an operation in northern Duhok province, the defense ministry announced. In a statement, the ministry said that Onder Ozen 'was injured as a result of stepping on a mine/IED during the search and sweep operations' and 'was immediately taken to the hospital, where despite all interventions, he could not be saved.' Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been engaged in a decades-long armed conflict. Founded in 1978, the PKK initially struggled for an independent Kurdistan but now calls for increased political and cultural rights within Turkey. Ankara and its Western allies consider the group a terrorist organization. The incident occurred amid revived peace negotiations between both sides and the PKK's unilateral ceasefire, aimed at resolving more than four decades of conflict that has claimed over 40,000 lives. In late February, Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) relayed a landmark message by jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, in which he called on the PKK to disarm and disband. The PKK responded to Ocalan's message, expressing willingness to uphold his call and declaring a unilateral ceasefire with Turkey, while accusing Ankara of continuing attacks against its members. The group also requested a physical meeting with Ocalan as a precondition for the success of the peace process. As part of its outreach, the DEM Party has been meeting with leaders across the Kurdistan Region to build support for the peace initiative.
Rudaw Net
03-05-2025
- Health
- Rudaw Net
Key member of Ankara-PKK peace talks team passes away
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Politician Sirri Sureyya Onder, who played a key role in nascent peace talks between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), passed away on Saturday, according to an announcement from the hospital where he was receiving treatment. 'Mr. Sirri Sureyya Onder, who had been under care in our intensive care unit for 18 days, sadly passed away on 03.05.2025 at 16:10 due to multiple organ failure,' read a statement from Istanbul's Florence Nightingale Hospital. Onder had entered the hospital after suffering a heart attack. The 62 year-old was a member of the Turkish parliament on the ticket of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party). This is a developing story…
Rudaw Net
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
DEM Party urges Turkish justice minister to ease Ocalan isolation
Also in Turkey PKK to be informed where to lay down arms: Defense minister 6.2 magnitude quake, aftershocks rock Istanbul Turkish soldier killed in Kurdistan Region despite PKK-Ankara peace talks Pro-Kurdish delegation visits jailed PKK leader A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Representatives of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) met with Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc on Thursday, urging him to ease the isolation of jailed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan and allow him contact with public figures to facilitate efforts for a peace process. DEM Party parliamentary bloc deputy heads Sezai Temelli and Gulistan Kilic Kocyigit, along with Ozturk Turkdogan, co-chair of the party's law and human rights commission, held the meeting with the minister to convey concerns regarding the detention conditions of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Kocyigit said they told the minister that 'Mr. Ocalan would not be able to contribute to this process under isolation conditions,' and emphasized that improving his conditions was essential for the peace process to move forward. 'Mr. Ocalan's conditions were the most important topic for the process to advance, and ... must be corrected without fail as soon as possible,' she added. he DEM Party is leading an initiative aimed at mediating peace between Ankara and the PKK. The party released a message from Ocalan in late February calling on the PKK to disarm and disband. In response, the PKK declared a unilateral ceasefire and expressed willingness to uphold Ocalan's call. However, the group also accused the Turkish government of continuing military operations and said a physical meeting with Ocalan was necessary for the peace process to succeed. Kocyigit said they also highlighted the importance of allowing Ocalan to meet with public figures of his choice. 'We underlined that it is very important for some intellectuals, writers, and journalists that Mr. Ocalan wants to meet with to go to the island and establish contact with him,' she stated. When asked how the justice minister responded, she said, 'The minister also noted these carefully.' The DEM Party on Monday made their third visit to the secluded Imrali prison in northwest Turkey to meet with Ocalan. When asked about whether Ocalan will be granted the 'right to hope,' she said that 'we comprehensively evaluated Mr. Ocalan's working conditions, health, and security conditions,' without giving a clear answer. The law concerns prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment who are otherwise ineligible for conditional release. In October, Devlet Bahceli, leader of Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), called on Ocalan to address the Turkish parliament and announce the dissolution of the PKK. He also suggested that Ocalan should benefit from the 'right to hope' law, which could pave the way for his release if certain conditions are met. However, Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc has repeatedly stated that there is no legal basis for granting Ocalan any right to release under the "right to hope" regulation. Ocalan, who founded the PKK in 1978 and began an armed struggle against the Turkish state six years later, has been jailed on Imrali Island since 1999. His recent message has revived hopes for ending a decades-long conflict that has claimed more than 40,000 lives. The PKK, initially fighting for Kurdish autonomy, now advocates for broader cultural and political rights within Turkey. Ankara and its Western allies classify the group as a terrorist organization.
Rudaw Net
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Pro-Kurdish delegation on way to Imrali prison to visit PKK leader
Also in Turkey DEM Party's Sirri Sureyya Onder in critical condition after heart attack Unfinished Stories: No winner war Erdogan receives pro-Kurdish party delegation in Ankara Erdogan says to receive pro-Kurdish party delegates Thursday A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Pervin Buldan from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) made her third visit to the Imrali prison in northwest Turkey to meet with Abdullah Ocalan, jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), amid ongoing peace talks between the PKK and Ankara. Buldan and Sirri Sureyya Onder, another member of the DEM Party, are part of a delegation assigned to mediate peace talks between the PKK and the Turkish state. Onder, 62, recently suffered a heart attack and remains in critical condition. DEM Party said in a statement on Monday that Buldan and Faik Ozgur, one of Ocalan's lawyers, were on the way to Imrali to meet with Ocalan without providing more details. At the end of February, DEM Party shared with the public a letter from Ocalan. In the letter, he urged the group to disarm and disband. His message has sparked hope for an end to four decades of a conflict that has taken 40,000 lives. The PKK subsequently announced a unilateral ceasefire and said they would hold a congress to decide their future but have insisted that Ocalan should be released from jail to lead the process. Ankara has demanded that the PKK immediately disarm and dissolve itself. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on April 10 received Buldan and Onder. The rare meeting was seen as a significant step in the ongoing talks. Erdogan had last meet with a pro-Kurdish party in 2013.
Rudaw Net
18-04-2025
- Health
- Rudaw Net
DEM Party's Sirri Sureyya Onder in critical condition after heart attack
Also in Turkey Unfinished Stories: No winner war Erdogan receives pro-Kurdish party delegation in Ankara Erdogan says to receive pro-Kurdish party delegates Thursday Erdogan to meet with pro-Kurdish party amid Ankara-PKK peace talks A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Politician Sirri Sureyya Onder remains in intensive care in Istanbul following a heart attack earlier this week, the hospital said on Friday. 'Our patient, Mr. Sirri Sureyya Onder, continues to receive intensive care treatment. His general condition remains the same, maintaining intensive care stability similarly in line with yesterday's parameters. Our treatments for infection and inflammation are continuing,' Istanbul's Florence Nightingale Hospital said in a statement. 'Our patient remains at high risk and his life-threatening condition continues,' it added. Onder, 62, is a member of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and is part of the Imrali delegation that has been mediating peace talks between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Turkish state. He suffered a heart attack on Tuesday and underwent a 12-hour surgery. Ahmet Turk, a veteran Kurdish politician, called Onder a dear friend and politician who has advocated for peace. 'We hope that his health returns to him soon and that he is in good health. We want to see Sirri like before once again,' he said. DEM Party said they have received queries about Onder's condition and well-wishes from politicians across the spectrum. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called DEM Party co-chair Pervin Buldan twice for updates on Onder's medical care. The leaders of Turkey's main political parties and Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani have also reached out, and many people from art, politics and civil society circles have visited the hospital, DEM Party said on Facebook. Onder's health scare comes at a pivotal moment in the peace process. At the end of February, DEM Party shared with the public a letter from Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the PKK who is imprisoned on Imrali island. In the letter, he urged the group to disarm and disband. His message has sparked hope for an end to four decades of a conflict that has taken 40,000 lives. The PKK subsequently announced a unilateral ceasefire and said they would hold a congress to decide their future, but have insisted that Ocalan should be released from jail to lead the process. Ankara has demanded that the PKK immediately disarm and dissolve itself.
