Ankara, Turkey – Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), announced on Wednesday what he described as the end of the group’s armed struggle against the Turkish state, urging a complete transition to political engagement.
In his first video statement in decades, Öcalan said a broad, responsible committee is being formed in the Turkish Parliament to oversee the voluntary disarmament process, which he called a critical step forward.
Öcalan stressed that laying down arms would advance the peace process and mark a voluntary end to the armed conflict, paving the way for a new phase focused on politics and democracy. He indicated that practical steps for disarmament would be set out soon.
Calling on PKK members and supporters to embrace democratic politics fully, Öcalan noted that the party’s 12th Congress had given its historic approval to his appeal.
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“The current phase compels us to take practical steps, show goodwill, and move forward,” Öcalan said. He added that the party must break cycles of stagnation and crisis through deeper internal critique and reform.
“I believe in politics and a peaceful society, not in weapons. I call on everyone to apply this principle,” he said, adding that new doors must be opened through concrete actions.
The PKK, whose leader Öcalan has been imprisoned by Turkey on İmralı Island since 1999, announced in May that it would dissolve itself and end its armed campaign. The group has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state for more than four decades, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths.
