A delegation from Turkey’s leading pro-Kurdish party, the Democracy and Progress Party (DEM), is scheduled to visit Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), this Saturday. Ocalan has been serving a life sentence on Imrali Island, located near Istanbul, since 1999. According to a party source, while the delegation departed in the morning, the specifics of their access to the island remain unclear due to ongoing security concerns. This meeting will be significant as it is the first interaction between the party and Ocalan in nearly ten years, with the last visit occurring in April 2015.
On the eve of this visit, the Turkish government approved DEM’s request to meet Ocalan, who founded the PKK almost fifty years ago. The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey and many of its Western allies, including the United States and the European Union. The delegation comprises two lawmakers, Sirri Sureyya Onder and Pervin Buldan, although they are not expected to make any public statements following their encounter with Ocalan.
Ocalan’s Background and Current Situation
Abdullah Ocalan was apprehended 25 years ago during a dramatic operation by Turkish security forces in Kenya, after years of evading capture. Initially sentenced to death, his punishment was commuted to life imprisonment following the abolition of the death penalty in Turkey in 2004. Since then, Ocalan has spent his years in solitary confinement on Imrali prison island, where he remains isolated from the outside world.
The invitation for Ocalan to meet with the DEM delegation comes after a significant political overture from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s nationalist ally, Devlet Bahceli. Bahceli, who heads the ultra-nationalist Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), called for Ocalan to renounce terrorism and disband the PKK, framing his appeal as a historic opportunity for peace. Erdogan has echoed this sentiment, urging Kurdish citizens to embrace Bahceli’s extended hand in hopes of fostering a new era for Turkey.
Political Context and Implications
Following Bahceli’s encouragement, Ocalan was granted his first family visit since March 2020, which led to DEM formally requesting to visit the 75-year-old leader. This development comes against a backdrop of escalating tensions, particularly after a PKK attack on a Turkish defense firm in October that resulted in multiple fatalities. This incident briefly delayed the government’s approval of the DEM’s visit.
Ocalan previously played a crucial role in peace negotiations aimed at resolving Turkey’s longstanding Kurdish issue, particularly during Erdogan’s tenure as Prime Minister. However, the peace process collapsed in 2015, leading to a resurgence of violence in the Kurdish-majority southeastern regions of Turkey. The current outreach to Kurdish communities by the government follows significant changes in the regional geopolitical landscape, including developments in neighboring Syria, where Kurdish forces have gained ground against the Assad regime.
