Latest news with #democraticpolitics
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Kurdistan Workers' party fighters burn weapons in disarming ceremony
Senior PKK figure Bese Hozat read a statement in Turkish outside the mouth of a cave near Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan region of Iraq's north on Friday. 'We voluntarily destroy our weapons, before your presence, as a step of goodwill and determination', she said. The ceremony marks a turning point in the transition of the PKK from armed insurgency to democratic politics in the four-decade conflict
Reuters
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Jailed PKK leader Ocalan says armed struggle with Turkey is over
July 9 (Reuters) - Abdullah Ocalan, jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, appeared in a rare online video on Wednesday to declare the group's armed struggle against Turkey over and call for a full transition to democratic politics. In the recording, dated June and released by the PKK-affiliated Firat News Agency, Ocalan called on Turkey's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage a broader peace process. "The phase of armed struggle has ended. This is not a loss, but a historic gain," he said. "The armed struggle stage must now be voluntarily replaced by a phase of democratic politics and law." The PKK, locked in a bloody insurgency for more than four decades and designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies, decided in May to disband after an initial written appeal from Ocalan in February. Later on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party - the third biggest party in parliament which played a key role in facilitating the PKK's disarmament decision - said a group of militants would begin handing over their weapons in the northern Iraqi city of Suleymaniyah on Friday. Since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984 – originally with the aim of creating an independent state in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast – the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, imposed a heavy economic burden and caused deep social and political divisions. President Tayyip Erdogan said his government would not allow any attempts to sabotage the disarmament process, adding that Ankara would give people "historic good news". "We are ridding Turkey of a half-century-old evil, totally ripping off and throwing away the bloody shackles that were put on our country's legs," he told members of his AK Party in parliament. Erdogan and his government had long accused the People's Democratic Party (HDP) - DEM's predecessors - of having links to the PKK, arresting, detaining or removing from office several of its members. While DEM has denied any direct links to terrorism, the leftist party has played a facilitator role between Ocalan and Turkey's government in recent months. Ocalan's video marks a rare and potentially pivotal moment in the long-running conflict, offering what could be Erdogan's most significant opportunity yet to seal a political settlement to the Kurdish issue, should his government choose to respond. Seated in a beige polo shirt with a glass of water on the table in front of him, Ocalan appeared to read from a transcript in the seven-minute video – the first public footage or audio of him since his arrest in 1999. Six other jailed PKK members sat beside him, all looking directly at the camera. He said the PKK, which has been based in northern Iraq's mountainous regions in recent years, had dropped its separatist agenda. "The main objective has been achieved – existence has been acknowledged. What remains would be excessive repetition and a dead end," he said. Ocalan added that the DEM should work alongside other political parties to advance the peace process. The PKK and DEM expect Ankara to address Kurdish political demands, potentially before weapons in Turkey are handed over. DEM spokesperson Aysegul Dogan said the disarmament process must be made permanent through a series of legal assurances and with the formation of the necessary mechanism for the PKK to transition into democratic politics. Erdogan later met Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus, who is also set to meet Turkey's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin on Wednesday to coordinate the parliamentary side of the disarmament process. Ocalan's message came a day after Kalin visited Baghdad for high-level meetings with Iraqi officials on strengthening border security and potential steps towards a "terror-free Turkey", the Turkish intelligence agency said. The Iraqi government voiced full support for joint efforts to eliminate armed groups from northern Iraq, it added.
Al Jazeera
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
PKK's jailed leader Ocalan says armed struggle against Turkiye over
Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), has announced the end of the group's armed struggle against Turkiye, calling for a full shift to democratic politics. The jailed leader relayed his message via a video recording dated June, which was aired by the PKK-aligned Firat News Agency on Wednesday, describing the shift as a 'historic gain'. 'This represents a voluntary transition from the phase of armed conflict to the phase of democratic politics and law,' said Ocalan, who has been in prison since 1999, but remains a hugely influential figure among Kurds in Turkiye and beyond. He said the process of voluntary disarmament of Kurdish PKK fighters and the creation of a Turkish parliamentary committee to oversee the peace process would be 'crucial'. 'Care and sensitivity are essential,' he said, adding that details of the disarmament process would be 'determined and implemented swiftly'. Ocalan's message was released just days before the first PKK disarmament ceremony in northern Iraq. Back in May, the PKK had already announced it was disbanding after more than 40 years of armed struggle against the Turkish state. The announcement came two months after Ocalan, also known as 'Appo' – Kurdish for Uncle – called on the group to disarm in February. For most of its history, the PKK has been labelled a 'terrorist' group by Turkiye, the European Union and the United States. Ocalan was born to a poor Kurdish farming family in 1948, in Omerli, Sanliurfa, a Kurdish-majority part of Turkiye. It was after studying political science at Ankara University that he became politically active, founding the PKK in 1978. Six years later, the group launched a separatist rebellion against Turkiye under his command. More than 40,000 people were killed between 1984 and 2024, with thousands of Kurds fleeing the violence in southeastern Turkiye into cities further north.
Al Arabiya
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
In video, jailed PKK leader Ocalan says armed struggle with Turkey over
Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), appeared in a rare online video on Wednesday to say the group's armed struggle against Turkey has ended, and he called for a full shift to democratic politics. In the recording, dated June and released by Firat News Agency, which is close to the PKK, Ocalan urged Turkey's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage a broader peace process. The PKK, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state for 40 years and is labelled a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the EU, decided in May to disband after an initial written appeal from Ocalan in February. 'The phase of armed struggle has ended. This is not a loss, but a historic gain,' he said in the video, the first time since he was jailed in 1999 that either footage of him or a recording of his voice has been released. 'The armed struggle stage must now be voluntarily replaced by a phase of democratic politics and law.' Ocalan, seated in a beige polo shirt with a glass of water on the table in front of him, appeared to read from a transcript in the seven-minute video. He was surrounded by six other jailed PKK members all looking straight at the camera. He said the PKK had ended its separatist agenda. 'The main objective has been achieved – existence has been acknowledged,' he said. 'What remains would be excessive repetition and a dead end.' Ocalan added that Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party, the third largest in parliament in Ankara, should work alongside other political parties.
Arab News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Jailed PKK leader Ocalan says armed struggle with Turkiye over
Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), appeared in a rare online video on Wednesday to say the group's armed struggle against Turkiye has ended, and he called for a full shift to democratic the recording, dated June and released by Firat News Agency, which is close to the PKK, Ocalan urged Turkiye's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage a broader peace PKK, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state for 40 years and is labelled a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States and the EU, decided in May to disband after an initial written appeal from Ocalan in February.'The phase of armed struggle has ended. This is not a loss, but a historic gain,' he said in the video, the first time since he was jailed in 1999 that either footage of him or a recording of his voice has been released.'The armed struggle stage must now be voluntarily replaced by a phase of democratic politics and law.'Ocalan, seated in a beige polo shirt with a glass of water on the table in front of him, appeared to read from a transcript in the seven-minute video. He was surrounded by six other jailed PKK members all looking straight at the said the PKK had ended its separatist agenda.'The main objective has been achieved – existence has been acknowledged,' he said. 'What remains would be excessive repetition and a dead end.'Ocalan added that Turkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM Party, the third largest in parliament in Ankara, should work alongside other political parties.
