Originally published: https://english.anf-news.com/news/kurdish-movement-there-are-no-longer-any-obstacles-for-delaying-steps-regarding-Ocalan-s-freedom-87595

The Kurdish movement leadership announced that it has withdrawn all armed forces from Turkey and the areas near its borders. It said there is therefore no longer any reason to delay steps toward Öcalan’s freedom and further legislation on freedoms.

08 October 2026 | ANF

In a statement about the peace and democratic society process, the leadership of the Kurdish freedom movement announced further steps by its armed forces. According to the statement, the forces that had remained in Turkey until now have also been fully withdrawn in recent days. At the same time, four war tunnels and positions in Metîna, west of Zap, have been evacuated.

The Movement Leadership stated that this completes the implementation of the consequences arising from the decision to end the armed struggle against Turkey. Responsibility now lies with the political leadership in Ankara. In particular, there is no justification for any further delay regarding Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom, free working and communication conditions for the Kurdish leader, and further legislative measures, it underlined.

In its statement, the Movement Leadership also reviewed the course of the peace process to date, criticized the form of the framework law adopted in August, and called on social and democratic forces in Turkey to actively engage in the process.

The statement on Thursday reads as follows:

From the end of the armed struggle to a political solution

“Two years have passed since Rêber Apo [Leader Abdullah Öcalan] responded to Devlet Bahçeli on October 23, 2024, stating that he had the power to place the conflict on a political and legal footing. Over these two years, Rêber Apo has made tremendous efforts and brought the process to its current stage. Following Rêber Apo’s call of February 27, 2025, our movement declared a ceasefire. At its 12th Congress, held from May 5 to 7, it dissolved the PKK and ended the armed struggle against Turkey. At the same congress, it was also decided that Rêber Apo should lead the peace and democratic society process in all its dimensions. This once again reaffirmed the commitment to a democratic and political solution to the Kurdish question that Rêber Apo had already expressed in 1993.

On July 11, 2025, KCK Executive Council co-chair Besê Hozat, together with 30 comrades, burned their weapons as a symbol of their determination to end the armed struggle against Turkey. This made our strategic transformation concretely visible. Following our decision to end the armed struggle, the guerrilla forces that had been gradually withdrawn from Turkey were also presented to the public on October 26, 2025, together with our comrade Sabri Ok, a member of the KCK Executive Council. They declared their determination to end the armed struggle and continue the struggle through democratic and political means.

Rêber Apo and our freedom movement have stated unequivocally in numerous declarations that they have chosen to pursue a solution to the Kurdish question on the basis of democratization. The Kurdish people, as well as public opinion in Turkey and around the world, welcomed and supported this position adopted by our movement. They emphasized that the stance taken by Rêber Apo and the PKK will usher in a new phase for Turkey and the Middle East. For two years, there have been no armed clashes in Turkey, and not a single young Turkish or Kurdish person has lost their life in such clashes. This alone demonstrates the value of the peace and democratic society process.

Democratic integration as the basis for a solution

Not only Kurds, but everyone in Turkey who seeks democratization is convinced that all sections of society in Turkey will benefit if this process achieves its intended goal. They have experienced firsthand that the Kurdish question, unresolved for a hundred years, lies at the root of all problems. Tens of thousands of people on both sides have lost their lives. Trillions of dollars have been spent on the war. The Kurdish question has been a vulnerability for the Turkish state not only in domestic politics but also in foreign policy. The most serious consequence, however, is the alienation that has emerged between the Kurdish and Turkish peoples, despite having lived alongside one another as neighbors for nearly a thousand years. An alienation and antagonism have developed between the Kurds and the Turkish state on a scale unseen at any point in centuries.

The peace and democratic society process aims to end this antagonism and armed conflict and, through democratic integration, overcome the multifaceted alienation between Turkey and the Kurds. Rêber Apo has not placed this solution on the agenda merely as a political decision. Through his Manifesto for a Democratic Society and his declaration on the democratic republic and democratic integration, he has also developed its ideological and theoretical foundations. In this sense, he has worked with great determination and effort to advance the process. Our freedom movement has likewise acted in accordance with the requirements of this process led by our leadership.

In the political and social climate created by Rêber Apo’s determination and the steps taken by our movement, a commission was established in parliament to pursue a democratic solution to the Kurdish question. Most political parties appointed members to this commission, which held talks with numerous social groups and relevant parties. The commission also held a meeting with Rêber Apo and prepared a report. Despite significant shortcomings and errors, this parliamentary commission produced a report on the Kurdish question. To a certain extent, it acknowledged that the Kurdish question cannot be resolved through armed means and that a solution must be pursued through democratization. It also outlined a number of initial steps that the political leadership could take. However, the political leadership has neither taken these steps nor undertaken any initiative toward democratization.

Criticism of the framework law and the lack of further steps

Rêber Apo has attached great importance to the adoption of a framework law, which he describes as a fundamental law, for resolving the Kurdish question on the basis of democratization. He has emphasized its importance in all his talks with the state and suggested that the adoption of this framework law should be followed by legislation on freedoms. He has underscored the importance of this issue at every opportunity. However, the framework law that was adopted does not correspond to the scope outlined by Rêber Apo. Our freedom movement has also conveyed its views and proposals regarding the framework law both to those facilitating contact between us and the state and through public statements. These proposals were largely disregarded.

Rêber Apo regarded this law as the first of a thousand steps that would enable him to fulfill his role as coordinator for peace and political activity under conditions allowing him to work freely. Our freedom movement likewise did not reject the law, because under the current political conditions we considered its adoption important regardless of its content. At the same time, however, we emphasized that the law contains serious shortcomings. By excluding our leadership and the leadership of our freedom movement, it rendered itself largely meaningless and difficult to implement from the outset. It has thus gone down in history as a law that places a burden on the will of parliament, even though parliament itself should serve as a fundamental platform for resolving the Kurdish question.

Further forces and positions withdrawn

Even after the adoption of this law, the AKP government has taken no steps. During preparations for the law, state representatives had promised that our leadership would be able to meet with various social groups and, in particular, with journalists. No steps have been taken in this regard either. Apart from a meeting with the DEM Party’s Imrali delegation, Rêber Apo’s isolation continues. Nevertheless, a few days ago our freedom movement also withdrew all remaining forces from Turkey that posed no risk of armed confrontation. This is intended to leave the AKP government with no opportunity to put forward pretexts or use them to justify its inadequate approach to the process.

Although they are located far from the border, during the same period we also evacuated four war tunnels and positions in Metîna, west of Zap, so that the Turkish state cannot regard them as a threat. In short, we have withdrawn all armed forces from Turkey as well as from areas outside Turkey that could be described as being close to the border. In doing so, we have fulfilled all the requirements of our strategy to end the armed struggle against Turkey and continue the struggle through democratic and political means.

The Turkish state can therefore no longer speak of an armed threat to Turkey in any way. As a freedom movement, we have taken steps toward resolving such problems that have no parallel anywhere else in the world. If the value and significance of these steps are not recognized and no steps are taken toward legislation on freedoms—above all, the freedom of our leadership—this means that the Turkish state is continuing its century-old policy of denial and annihilation.

Öcalan’s freedom as a measure of the process going forward

The way Rêber Apo is treated, and whether he is able to live and work freely without any restrictions, will demonstrate the AKP government’s actual approach to this process. If steps are not taken immediately on this issue, the doubts that our people and our freedom movement harbor about the process will be confirmed. This will affect attitudes toward the process in every respect. Our organizational structure assesses the process primarily on the basis of how Rêber Apo is treated. We regard the treatment of Rêber Apo as a reflection of the approach toward the Kurdish people and the resolution of the Kurdish question.

There are no longer any obstacles or grounds for delaying Rêber Apo’s freedom or steps toward the adoption of legislation on freedoms. If the Turkish state says that it intends to resolve a century-old problem no longer through armed means, as it has in the past, but on the basis of democratization, it must immediately take the necessary steps to advance the peace and democratic society process. Turkey’s century-old problem is too significant to be made dependent on day-to-day political developments or elections. It is not the problem of a single party, but concerns all sections of society and political forces in Turkey.

If the AKP government believes that it can prolong this process, thereby weaken the Kurdish freedom movement and then continue its previous policies, this would be one of the greatest mistakes in Turkey’s history. In doing so, it would undermine the policy pursued by Rêber Apo and our movement that serves the interests of all people in Turkey and even the peoples of the Middle East. This would cause serious harm to the people of Turkey.

Call to society and democratic forces

We have acted with a strong sense of responsibility and sought to do our part to prevent such a situation from arising. Failing to properly understand the position taken by Rêber Apo and our movement, or even interpreting it as a sign of weakness, would amount to nothing more than a superficial and simplistic political approach. While calling on the government to abandon this approach, we call on the peoples of Turkey, all democratic forces and all patriots in Turkey to assume responsibility for the peace and democratic society process led by Rêber Apo. This issue concerns neither a single party nor the government alone. It is about a free life and a democratic future for everyone in Turkey.

To regard the process for peace and a democratic society merely as a matter between the AKP and our freedom movement is to misread the reality. All the problems that people in Turkey complain about and demand solutions to have their roots in the unresolved Kurdish question. The people of Turkey and democratic forces must therefore actively engage in this process. Adopting a political stance and waging a social struggle that remove the obstacles to the peace and democratic society process and enable it to succeed have become a historic responsibility and task. This process offers all social forces and people throughout Turkey a historic opportunity.”