Historic announcement.. Ocalan orders the dissolution of the Kurdistan Workers' Party and the laying down of arms

Abdullah Ocalan, founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, issued a historic call on Thursday to dissolve the party and lay down his arms, stressing that he bears historical responsibility for this call.

In a speech delivered by the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democracy and Equality Party of Turkey, Ocalan called on the PKK to hold a general congress and decide to dissolve itself.

Ocalan added that "there is no way but democracy and democratic dialogue, and the republic will not survive except through fraternal democracy," adding that "the language of the age is peace, and democratic society needs to develop."

The Peoples' Democracy and Equality Party said that a delegation from it met with Ocalan for the sake of peace between Turks and Kurds. A deputy from the party said that "Leader Abdullah Ocalan thanked the President of the Turkish Republic and all parties."

Abdullah Ocalan's statement in Arabic
“The PKK was born in the 20th century, the most violent century in history, two world wars, realistic socialism and the Cold War environment that the world experienced, the denial of the Kurdish reality, the ban on freedoms, especially freedom of expression. It was greatly influenced by the reality of the regime…

- Ammar Agha Al Qalaa | Ammar (@Ammaraghaalkala) February 27, 2025

Earlier this month, an official from the party, the third-largest in parliament, said: “Ocalan is preparing to launch a historic call soon, with the aim of a permanent solution to the Kurdish issue,” adding: “We are ready for a permanent and radical solution, and we attach importance to this call and support it.”

Last October, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government backed an offer made to Ocalan by Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party and an ally of Erdogan, to call on the PKK to lay down its arms.

Since 1999, Ocalan has been held in near-total isolation on the prison island of Imrali in the southern Sea of Marmara, rarely able to communicate with the outside world.

Source: Al Jazeera