Two lawmakers from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) will apply for a visit to Abdullah Öcalan, jailed leader of the PKK terrorist group, the party announced on Sunday. This will be the second visit in months by the same delegation and is part of the terror-free Türkiye initiative launched by a government ally.
Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan will formally apply on Monday to the Justice Ministry for a visit to Imralı, a Marmara Sea island where Öcalan is incarcerated. It is unclear when the ministry will approve the visit, but it is expected to happen in days or weeks.
The delegation last met Öcalan on Dec. 28, shortly after the terrorist leader was allowed to a visit by his nephew Ömer Öcalan, also a DEM Party lawmaker. It was the first such visit in years for Öcalan, who was captured in 1999 after years on the run.
Önder and Buldan, also accompanied by veteran DEM Party politician Ahmet Türk, last met Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, former co-chairs of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), a predecessor of the DEM Party, who were imprisoned for support to the PKK. The DEM Party is known for its intricate links to the group and became a “broker” in the initiative after Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli urged Öcalan to call on the PKK to lay down arms through a speech at a parliamentary group meeting of the party in the near future.
Bahçeli’s historic call on Oct. 22 is viewed as the first step of the new initiative that gained its name through subsequent statements of Bahçeli and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who endorsed the plan. His call involves removing Öcalan from solitary confinement at Imralı Island prison, at least temporarily. The DEM Party has applied for the first visit to Öcalan on Nov. 26.
On Friday, Buldan and Önder issued an optimistic statement regarding the progress of the initiative. Önder and Buldan visited representatives of political parties at Parliament following their talks with Öcalan and briefed them about the progress. “All meetings went positively on a sincere and promising level,” the DEM Party said in its statement on Friday, noting that all political parties and their leaders have backed the initiative by principle. With that, however, the parties have had various concerns and suggestions, according to the statement, concentrating on the transparency of the process and basing it on Parliament.
The PKK has waged a terror campaign against Türkiye since 1984, initially to establish a so-called Kurdish state in the southeast of the country. It has spread beyond Türkiye’s borders into Iraq and Syria and has killed tens of thousands of people. The PKK is proscribed to be a terrorist group by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.
There has been a mixed reaction among politicians and analysts to suggestions of the new initiative. Some described it as a historic opportunity, while others strongly opposed any perceived notion of leniency toward Öcalan or the PKK. However, the DEM Party said its delegation has observed that all parties “share a common desire and willpower to overcome the conflicting and tense process deriving from the Kurdish problem.” Similarly, the DEM Party said a parallel issue is that what they called “the peace process” “should be instrumental in general democratization and the expansion of democratic politics.” “We are sure that everyone, every segment of society, has expectations and hopes regarding this process, as well as concerns, sensitivities and questions,” the party said.
“Reinforcing Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood is a historic responsibility and is a matter of importance and emergency for all peoples,” Öcalan said in his first statements quoted by the DEM Party after the December visit. Öcalan said it was essential for all political circles in Türkiye to take the initiative without being confined to “narrow calculations,” “act constructive” and “provide a positive contribution” for this new process to succeed. Öcalan said the Parliament he was urged to come to would be “undoubtedly one of the most important grounds for ‘this contribution.'”
On Saturday, President Erdoğan said that the terror-free initiative was close to its ultimate stage. Addressing supporters of his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in the southern province of Mersin, Erdoğan said they favored a peaceful solution to the terrorism issue. “Developments since our People’s Alliance ally Mr. Bahçeli brought the issue to the spotlight are heading toward a conclusion. If the separatist group heeds the call of its leader, if their political extension fulfills its mission (for terror-free Türkiye initiative), the entire Türkiye will win. If they reject the call and their political extension drags its feet, we are capable of resolving this matter through operations,” Erdoğan said, pointing out past successful counterterrorism operations against the PKK. “Our choice is resolving this matter through a calm, sincere manner and permanently,” he said, adding that terrorism wasted 40 years in the country, claimed tens of thousands of lives and led to losses of hundreds of billions of dollars.
“Separatist terrorism will be defeated, one way or another. Certainly, the memory of our martyrs is above everything. The current works are conducted in a way not to defile memories of martyrs,” he said, referring to thousands of civilians and security officers killed by terrorists.