Jailed ringleader Öcalan calls on PKK terrorists to lay down arms
Jailed PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan on Thursday called for the bloody-minded terror group to lay down its weapons and dissolve itself in a landmark declaration read out in Istanbul. "All groups must lay down their arms and PKK must dissolve itself," he said in a declaration drawn up in his cell on Imrali prison island where he has been held in solitary confinement since 1999.
- Anti-terror fight
- Agencies and A News
- Published Date: 06:49 | 27 February 2025
- Modified Date: 11:39 | 27 February 2025
"All groups should lay down their weapons and the PKK should dissolve," according to a statement from Öcalan read by the Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party in Istanbul on Thursday.
A delegation from the party had visited Öcalan in the morning at the prison on the island of Imrali in the Sea of Marmara.
Türkiye would be 'free of shackles' if PKK dissolves
Türkiye will be "free of its shackles" if the PKK lays down arms and dissolves, ruling AK Party Deputy Chairman Efkan Ala said on Thursday after the terror group's jailed ringleader Abdullah Öcalan called on it to disband.
In the first response from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's ruling party, Ala said the government expected the PKK to comply with Öcalan's call.
The PKK is listed by Türkiye, the European Union and the United States as a terrorist organization.
Since the 1980s, the bloody-minded PKK terror group has been fighting in the south-east of Türkiye.
Tens of thousands of people have lost their lives so far. Öcalan, aged 75, has been imprisoned on the island prison of Imrali since 1999.
Öcalan's declaration attracted significant public interest. In the Kurdish-dominated south-east, it was broadcast on publicly displayed screens.
Whether the PKK will heed his call remains uncertain. The current PKK leadership includes Murat Karayilan and Cemil Bayik, who are wanted by the Turkish state on terrorism charges.