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The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) said the implementation of the disarmament plan would require the release of its imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan and the establishment of a legal framework guaranteeing Kurdish rights.
The militant group announced yesterday that it had decided to dissolve itself at the congress held between May 5-7, marking a historic milestone in the four-decade armed insurgency in line with a February appeal from Öcalan.
Today, Fırat News Agency (ANF), closely aligned with the group, published senior PKK executive Murat Karayılan's speech at the congress, where he outlined conditions to implement the disbandment decision.
“Legal steps and changes must be taken. If there is talk of internal peace, then hostility must come to an end. Yet attacks continue despite our ceasefire. The state must abandon its denial-and-destruction mentality. Without that shift, on what basis can internal peace be achieved?” said Karayılan
Describing current laws as "hostile" and "in denial of the existence of the Kurdish people," Karayılan called for legal reforms, saying, “Only if the state enacts legal and constitutional changes can this movement carry out disarmament. Otherwise, it will be very difficult.”
PKK executive says Öcalan must oversee disarmament process
Karayılan also emphasized the need for Öcalan’s physical freedom. “To fully disarm, we must also trust the state. But right now, the Turkish state’s approach does not inspire confidence. We are not approaching this narrowly or suspiciously. We are sincere. Legal reforms must come first," he remarked.
He noted that groundwork for the current transition had been laid through the efforts of Öcalan, the party’s delegation, and the broader movement. “That is why our congress is able to take certain decisions, despite both positive and negative signals from the state."
While stating that the PKK could continue the conflict using traditional methods and prove their resilience, Karayılan added, “But as Rêber Apo [Öcalan] has said, that period has passed. We need change. We believe the era of armed struggle must end. Yet if the state does not accept this, and refuses to make the necessary legal changes, then implementation won’t be possible in practice.”
DEM Party leader echoes call for action
Tuncer Bakırhan, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, also addressed the issue during a party meeting today. He urged swift action and called for “humanitarian, concrete, and confidence-building measures” to be taken before the Eid al-Adha holiday from Jun 6–9.
“We expect the executive branch to fulfill its responsibilities in this matter,” Bakırhan said. “Delaying peace is haram.”
“If the guns are to fall silent, democratic politics must be allowed to speak,” he continued. “And for that to happen, the obstacles in front of democratic politics must be removed. Let’s bring the republic and democracy together under the idea of a shared homeland.”
Background
The PKK announced its disbandment yesterday, following a new peace initiative launched in October by Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Bahçeli had suggested Öcalan declare the PKK's dissolution in exchange for a "right to hope," which could potentially lead to his release.
The initiative led to a series of meetings between Öcalan, who remains in the İmralı island prison in northwestern Turkey, and a delegation from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party. Following a Feb 27 meeting,
The PKK held a congress to discuss Öcalan's appeal between May 5-7 and announced the outcome of the congress on May 12.
The four-decade conflict between the Turkish state and the PKK, primarily in the country's predominantly Kurdish-populated southeastern regions but also extending to other parts of Turkey, as well as Syria and Iraq, claimed more than 30,000 lives, including military personnel, militants, and civilians. (VK)
