Rare sign of life

Imprisoned Kurdish leader Öcalan wants to dissolve PKK

For many Kurds, the imprisoned PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan is a national hero.

(Bild: EPA/SEDAT SUNA)

A rare sign of life! The imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan has called on his banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to end its armed struggle against Turkey. Öcalan, who has been in a Turkish prison since 1999, made this statement on Thursday. 

He also said that the organization should dissolve itself. Öcalan made his wishes known in a letter that was read out by allies in Istanbul. "I call for the laying down of arms and I take historical responsibility for this call," Öcalan was quoted as saying. "All groups must lay down their arms and the PKK must dissolve itself."

Öcalan's message could have far-reaching implications across the Middle East, not least in Syria, where Kurdish forces control significant territory, but also in Iran and Iraq.

Öcalan imprisoned on an island since 1999
Öcalan, who was born in 1949, has been in prison on the island of İmralı south of Istanbul since 1999. He founded the PKK in 1978 in the province of Diyarbakır in south-eastern Turkey as a Marxist-inspired organization. Its original aim was to build a socialist Kurdish state for the people oppressed in Turkey, whose members also live in Syria, Iraq and Iran.

The militant group has been fighting against the Turkish state since 1984 and more than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict. The EU and the USA also classify the PKK as a terrorist organization. Peace talks failed in 2015.

The PKK's fight for Kurdish autonomy used to focus mainly on the predominantly Kurdish south-east of Turkey. Today, the focus is on the north of Iraq, where the PKK is based.

Europe retreat of the PKK
According to the latest Austrian constitutional protection report 2023, the PKK in Austria has recently concentrated primarily on providing financial and logistical support to its parent organization.

According to the report, traditional events such as the Kurdish New Year festival Newroz are often politicized and were attended by thousands of people. Europe is "primarily seen as a place of rest and retreat". The Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN) has also repeatedly recorded links between domestic left-wing extremism and the PKK. In Austria, the public display of the organization's symbol is subject to an administrative penalty.