PKK holds 12th congress, discusses disbandment

DIYARBAKIR-AMED,— The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has taken what it calls a major step toward disbanding, according to PKK statement published by the ANF news agency, which is close to the group.

The agency reported Friday that a significant meeting was held this week to discuss laying down arms, following calls by the group’s founder, Abdullah Ocalan.

The meeting, described by ANF as “historic,” was held between Monday and Wednesday in the “Media Defense Zones” — the PKK’s term for its stronghold in the Qandil Mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan (Bashur).

According to the agency, the congress produced decisions that could shape the group’s future, although no formal announcement of dissolution was made. The PKK said more detailed updates on the congress will be shared soon.

Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island near Istanbul since 1999, called on February 27 for the PKK to disarm and disband, bringing an end to the decades-long conflict with the Turkish state.

His message, delivered through a letter read out by pro-Kurdish lawmakers at a news conference in Istanbul, urged the group to hold a congress to finalize the process. The PKK’s leadership responded days later by declaring a ceasefire.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that if the PKK fails to follow through on its commitments, the government will impose severe consequences.

The pro-Kurdish Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), the third-largest faction in Turkey’s parliament, welcomed the development in a statement Friday.

“With the PKK’s historic congress decisions, we are one step closer to peace after fifty years of conflict,” the party said. “This is a move towards the peaceful, democratic future long desired in these ancient lands.”

DEM spokesperson Aysegul Dogan told reporters before the congress was officially announced, “We are prepared to do everything in our power for a Turkey where we can all live together, where lasting peace and democracy take hold.”

According to DEM sources, the announcement of the congress was delayed due to the death of DEM member Sirri Sureyya Onder, who passed away Saturday at age 62. Onder was widely respected across political lines for his efforts to resolve the Kurdish issue.

“It is highly likely the PKK held its congress earlier but delayed the announcement out of respect for Onder’s passing,” a DEM source told AFP.

This timing also aligns with a calendar previously mentioned by Devlet Bahceli, leader of the nationalist MHP party and a close ally of Erdogan, who had suggested the PKK gather in Malazgirt, near Lake Van, on May 4.

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) launched its armed campaign against the Turkish government in 1984, aiming to secure greater autonomy for Kurds in Turkish Kurdistan (Bakur).

The Turkish state has long refused to recognize Kurds constitutionally, despite the minority making up nearly 30% of Turkey’s population of 85 million. The decades-long conflict has resulted in over 40,000 deaths, including Turkish military personnel and Kurdish fighters.

The PKK’s operations have largely targeted Turkish military and security sites, while strictly avoiding civilian casualties. This approach has led several international organizations to call on governments to reassess the PKK’s designation as a terrorist group.

There is widespread support among Kurds in Turkey and internationally for the PKK and its leader, Abdullah Ocalan. Ocalan, who founded the organization in 1974, holds a powerful symbolic role for many Kurds.

He has been imprisoned on an island off Istanbul since 1999, following his capture by Turkish agents in Kenya, yet he continues to exert significant influence over the Kurdish movement, observers say.

(With files from AFP | Agencies)