The DEM party expects a personal meeting with Abdullah Öcalan, who has been in prison for 25 years.
Turkiye will allow the parliament’s pro-Kurdish party to visit the imprisoned founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in his island prison. This is the first visit of its kind in almost a decade.
The Justice Ministry approved a request from the People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) to meet with Abdullah Öcalan, who is serving life in solitary confinement, a DEM spokesman said late Friday.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc confirmed the move in a statement to news channel TGRT.
“We responded positively to DEM’s request for a meeting. Depending on the weather conditions, they will go to Imrali tomorrow (Saturday) or Sunday,” he said, referring to the prison island where Ocalan has been held for 25 years.
Friday’s decision came after DEM requested the visit last month, shortly after a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan outlined his proposal to end the 40-year-old conflict between the state and Öcalan’s banned PKK.
Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, called on Öcalan to announce an end to the rebellion in return for the possibility of his release, a month after he proposed.
Erdogan described Bahceli’s original proposal as a “historic window of opportunity.” After the latest call last month, Erdogan said he fully agreed with Bahceli on every issue and that they would act in harmony and coordination.
“To be honest, the picture we have before us does not give us much hope,” Erdogan said in parliament. “Despite all these difficulties, we are considering what can be done with a long-term perspective that focuses not only on today but also on the future.”
Bahceli regularly condemns pro-Kurdish politicians as tools of the PKK, something she denies.
Regional changes
The DEM’s predecessor party was involved in peace talks between Ankara and Öcalan a decade ago and last met him in April 2015.
The peace process and a ceasefire collapsed shortly thereafter, triggering the deadliest phase of the conflict.
DEM MPs Sirri Sureyya Onder and Pervin Buldan, who both met with Öcalan as part of peace talks at the time, will travel to Imrali Island to meet him this weekend, the party said.
Turkey and its Western allies call the PKK a “terrorist group.” More than 40,000 people have been killed in the fighting, which in the past was concentrated in the predominantly Kurdish southeast but is now focused on northern Iraq, where the PKK is based.
Increasing regional instability and changing political dynamics are seen as factors in the attempt to end the conflict with the PKK. The prospects of success are unclear as Ankara has given no indication of what this might mean.
Since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria this month, Ankara has repeatedly insisted that the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia, which it sees as an extension of the PKK, must be disbanded, claiming that the group in Syria have no place in the future.
The YPG is the main component of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi (also known as Mazloum Kobani) confirmed the presence of PKK fighters in Syria for the first time last week, saying they had helped fight ISIL (ISIS) militants and would return home if with Turkey would agree to a complete ceasefire. a core demand from Ankara.
Authorities in Turkey continue to crack down on suspected PKK activities. Last month, the government replaced five pro-Kurdish mayors in southeastern cities over suspected PKK ties, sparking criticism from DEM and others.
