TRICKED again PKK disarm but got NOTHING in return

[Anthea]

Kurdish politician said PKK won’t lay down arms

without offer from Turkey

A Kurdish politician said on Thursday that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is not likely to lay down arms if the Turkish government does not give something in return as expectation grows that a renewed peace effort may begin

“Before the PKK lays down its arms, it has to know what Turkey will offer Kurds, especially the PKK itself, in return for the disarmament and the halt of the war,” Mesut Tek, former president of the Kurdistan Socialist Party (PSK) in Turkey, told Rudaw.

He said that the Kurdish group is “strong” and has no reason to give up arms. “Today, the PKK rules Western Kurdistan, it controls land and it has armed forces. PKK is an influential force in Syria and the Middle East,” he noted.

Talks of a renewed drive for peace and resolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey began earlier this month with the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahceli, who shook hands with MPs from the DEM Party, which he has called terrorists.

Then this week, he made the unprecedented move of proposing that jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan be invited to address the Turkish parliament and declare the dissolution of his armed group.

“If the isolation of Ocalan is lifted, let him come and speak at the DEM Party [Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party] Group Meeting in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Let him proclaim that terrorism has been completely eradicated and that the organization has been dissolved,” Bahceli said during a speech to his party’s bloc inside the Turkish parliament.

Hopes for a new peace process were fuelled when the government decided to allow Ocalan to see his family after more than three years of isolation. Communication with Ocalan would be a crucial step on the path to potential peace talks.

Ocalan's nephew and DEM Party lawmaker Omer Ocalan said in a post on X on Thursday morning that this was the first face-to-face meeting since March 3, 2020. The PKK leader was in “good health,” the nephew said.

In a subsequent post, Omer Ocalan conveyed a message from his uncle that he has the power to stop the conflict.

“The isolation continues,” the post read. “If the conditions are right, I have the theoretical and practical power to pull this process from the ground of conflict and violence to the ground of law and politics.”

Ocalan has been jailed at Imrali Island, serving a life sentence since 1999.

Founded in 1978, the PKK initially called for the establishment of an independent Kurdistan but now calls for a few more rights The group is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and Western allies.

The 40-year long conflict between PKK and the Turkish state has claimed an estimated 40,000 lives

The conflict between Kurds and the Turkish state has been going on for 100 years

A short-lived peace process between Turkey and the PKK in 2013 granted Kurds some rights that were previously seen as taboo, such as elective Kurdish courses at schools. Kurds have been culturally, politically, and economically repressed in Turkey for decades.

But those rights were short-lived and just a lie to manipulate the Kurds.

Since those peace talks collapsed in 2015 and the PKK has been tricked into leaving their homeland the conflict has spread to the Kurdistan Region and Western Kurdistan and at least 7,119 more people have died, according to a tally from the International Crisis Group.

Tek believes that Ankara is seeking peace with Kurds in order to save itself from other issues.

“I think the policy of the Turkish state now needs to start this process and step, because Turkey is in trouble in the region, abroad and at home, especially economically. The economic crisis, lack of justice and violence in society have reached their peak,” he said.

Hopes for peace were given a blow on Wednesday when a Turkish aerospace facility in Ankara’s Kahramankazan district was attacked. Five people were killed and 22 others were injured. Two attackers were “neutralized.”

Ankara later said the perpetrators were members of the PKK.

Later that same day, Turkey announced it had carried out strikes on alleged PKK positions in the Kurdistan Region and Syria. Ankara stated that 32 “targets belonging to terrorists were “neutralized.” Turkey uses the term “neutralize” to denote adversaries captured, wounded, or killed.

The bombardments continued in Western Kurdistan

Turkey’s largest anti-Kurdish political party, DEM Party, is calling for peace. “War, conflict and violence are not a path, they are not a solution,” spokesperson Aysegul Dogan said.

“We have been saying this for years. This makes all of us, everyone, a loser. Therefore, in this environment where the solution is discussed and a dialogue environment emerges, everyone who is a citizen in Turkey, from the government to the opposition, from the social opposition to the political opposition, faces a serious responsibility. We are sharing all developments with you meticulously” she added.

Dogan said that the Kurdish issue in Turkey will not be resolved “by ignoring, denying, or treating it as a security problem.”

Her party condemned the Ankara attack on Wednesday.

The PKK said in a statement late on Thursday that it will act according to “the process developed” by Ocalan, but warned that “it is not possible to talk about or expect development unless the isolation imposed on Ocalan is completely lifted and Ocalan's health, safety and working conditions are ensured.”

Regarding the Ankara attack, the PKK said that if it was involved, its armed wing the People’s Defence Forces (HPG), would make a claim of responsibility and accused the Turkish government of using such attacks as an excuse to target Kurdistan Region’s mountainous areas and Western Kurdistan.

Murat Karayilan, a PKK commander, said in an interview with a party news outlet on Wednesday that “Searches for solutions that do not center on the freedom of Ocalan are null and void.”

While prospects for peace may seem fragile, political analyst Abdurrahim Temel said that a plan has been in the making for months.

“Letters have been received and meetings have been held. There have been telephone conversations and letters have reached the PKK and Western Kurdistan and reached many other places,” he told Rudaw. “Ocalan's thoughts are in those letters. Ocalan himself wrote that letter no doubt dictated by his Turkish captors.”

“I think that there will be a delegation coming and going between Qandil and Western Kurdistan in the coming days,” he added. The PKK’s headquarters are located in the Kurdistan Region’s Qandil Mountains.

Temel is head of Temel Strateji think tank and sat on a board of intellectuals formed by Ankara during the 2013 peace process as part of a ceasefire with the PKK. He said he knows details of the plan.

“This project, which has been prepared by the Turkish government in 15-16 months, is not only for the solution of the Kurdish problem in Turkey. According to the project, a great alliance will be established with the Kurds of the Middle East, an alliance will be established with the Kurds of the East, West and South, North,” he said, referring to Kurds living in Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern Kurdistan.

Leyla Zana, a veteran Kurdish politician who has spent much of her life in Turkish jails due to her struggles for Kurdish rights, said in a post on X on Thursday that “A ray of hope has dawned for all those crying out about conflicts and wars!”

“We, those who thirst for peace, will stand behind those who are trying to transform these developments into a democratic solution on a legal and political level, without any ifs or buts,” she added.

Hevidar Zana and Nwenar Fatih contributed to this article.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... /241020243

[Anthea]

PKK Disarmament Process Concluded

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – 30 members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) laid down their arms and burned them in a symbolic disarmament ceremony held Friday inside the historic Jasena Cave in Sulaimani province’s Dukan district

30 members WOW only another 59,970 members to go

The fighters destroyed a cache of weapons, including Kalashnikov rifles, rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), and sniper rifles. The disarmament event was part of a broader effort to de-escalate tensions and promote dialogue in the region.

According to Kurdistan24 correspondent Aras Amin, four senior PKK commanders were among those who surrendered their weapons, marking a rare and noteworthy gesture from the group’s leadership.

This act of disarmament comes in response to a call issued on Feb. 27 by Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the PKK, who urged his followers to take concrete steps toward peace.

The event at Jasena Cave is seen as a hopeful development and a potential turning point in efforts to resolve long-standing conflicts through peaceful means.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/85 ... -concluded

[Anthea]

We said: Put down your guns
then we'll talk about peace."

But when they did, we killed them
— Marlon Brando, Oscar boycott 1973

Instead of accepting his Oscar for The Godfather, Brando sent the young Apache activist Sacheen Littlefeather to expose America’s betrayal of its indigenous people:

200 years of lies, stolen lands and broken peace treaties.

And today ?

The Kurds hear the same words:

"Put down the guns
we'll talk about peace."

But we've seen it before:
When the guns go silent, the bombs come.
When the Kurds trust the words - then the mountains collapse.

Marlon Brando understood something the world often forgets:
Peace without justice is just another name for surrender

[Anthea]

[Anthea]

No More Disarmament Ceremonies
PKK Says Burden Now on Ankara

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A senior Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) official has announced that the group will not hold any further weapon-laying-down ceremonies, declaring that the single, symbolic disarmament by a group of its fighters was the "necessary message" and that the onus is now on the Turkish government to take concrete, legally-binding steps to advance the peace process

The statement from Helin Omed, a member of the PKK Central Committee, comes after a group of 30 PKK members destroyed their weapons in the Kurdistan Region on July 11. It signals a significant shift in the PKK's strategy, moving from gestures of disarmament to demanding a formal, parliamentary-backed framework for a political solution.

Following the initial ceremony, Omed clarified the PKK's current position and future intentions. "The Peace and Democratic Society Group, which burned their weapons, is now preparing for democratic political participation," she stated in a media interview. "Another weapon-laying-down ceremony will not be held again. The necessary message was delivered at the ceremony."

She indicated that the prospect of PKK members returning to Türkiye is conditional on tangible political reforms. "If constitutional changes are made, why shouldn't that group and PKK members return to Türkiye? We are changing our struggle to a political struggle," she said.

While Omed described statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan regarding the process as "important," she asserted that "no such significant steps have been taken." She specifically pointed to the lack of progress on the status of the PKK's imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan. "At the beginning of the process, there were calls to grant Öcalan the right to hope for freedom, but so far, no change has been made in Öcalan's situation," she said.

The PKK official stressed that for the process to be viable, it must be enshrined in law by the Turkish parliament to prevent it from being derailed by future political problems.

"The authorities are taking steps for the process slowly," Omed said. "The process and the steps being taken must be legally guaranteed, because it's possible that due to problems arising, the process could be opposed."

She proposed a specific mechanism to achieve this, suggesting that a parliamentary commission should be empowered to draft legislation. "Establishing a parliamentary commission will play a significant role in overcoming obstacles, and the commission must be able to prepare draft laws for the parliament and provide laws for democracy and freedom," she argued. "These things are necessary; without them, the steps we are taking will be futile."

Underscoring the importance of resolving the decades-long conflict, she added, "The Kurdish issue is a central issue for Türkiye. If this issue is resolved, Türkiye will become an attractive country; otherwise, it will not progress. We want the door to be opened to democratic politics."

This development comes as a parliamentary commission is expected to be established in Türkiye in the coming days, tasked with preparing the legal groundwork for the PKK's disarmament.

The initial disarmament ceremony that prompted these statements took place on Friday, July 11, 2025, when a group of 30 PKK members laid down their arms in the Jasana cave in the Surdash area of Sulaimani province.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/85 ... -on-ankara

What do Kurds want?

Not more brain-washing from the DEM
Not more instruction from Turkey via Oclan

Kurds want to live in peace in their own country

[Anthea]

Ocalan Backs PKK Disarmament

Remember Ocalan has to do what the Turkish government tell him too

Abdullah Ocalan, has expressed support for recent disarmament efforts by a group of PKK members and welcomed the formation of a Turkish parliamentary commission aimed at advancing peace, according to a statement released by the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (Dem Party) on Saturday.

Remember DEM are traitors to the Kurdish cause

A delegation from the Dem Party visited Ocalan on Friday on Imrali Island, where he has been imprisoned since 1999.

The meeting, which lasted three and a half hours, focused on ongoing efforts to resolve the Kurdish issue in Turkey and build on recent developments in the peace process.

Remember not once has DEM mentioned Kurdish Independence

The Dem Party said the delegation updated Ocalan on their earlier meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, and representatives of other political parties.

In turn, Ocalan commented on a symbolic disarmament ceremony that took place in July, in which 30 PKK fighters laid down their arms in Jasana Cave in the Surdash district of Sulaimani province, in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.

Remember this is the second such surrender ceremony

“The manner of the ceremony, the will that was demonstrated, and the thought, belief, and determination behind the process are very profound,” Ocalan was quoted as saying.

The disarmament move follows the Turkish government’s launch of a new resolution process on October 1 of last year.

While the government refers to the initiative as “A Turkey without terror,” the Dem Party describes it as the “Peace and Kurdish issue resolution process.”

Remember the terror is caused by Turkish attacks and curfews on villages

In a further step toward institutionalizing the process, Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş formally requested on July 25 that parties nominate members to a new commission consisting of 51 lawmakers.

The composition is expected to include 21 members from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), 10 from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), four each from the Dem Party and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and three each from the İYİ Party and New Path Party. Several smaller parties, including HÜDA PAR, Yeniden Refah, the Workers’ Party, and others, will each contribute one member.

Remember not a single person representing Kurdish Independence

Ocalan expressed hope that the commission would carry out extensive work to promote peace and democracy.

Remember 100 yrs of Turkish genocide/culturcide of Kurds

The visit to Imrali and the Dem Party’s statement come at a time of renewed focus on political dialogue and conflict resolution between the Turkish state and Kurdish actors.

Remember Turkish Occupation forces are on KURDISH land

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/890242

[Anthea]

Turkish Parliament Rejects Recognition
of any Other Official Languages

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) Numan Kurtulmuş has declared that no legal or constitutional process will begin until the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and all its extensions, including those in Syria, lay down their arms. He further emphasized that the recognition of any language other than Turkish as an official language is impossible and will not be considered under the current framework

Speaking to journalists during the legislature’s third-year evaluation meeting on Tuesday, Kurtulmuş underlined the government’s position that reforms will be contingent upon the complete disarmament of PKK-affiliated groups. “As expressed also in İmralı’s statement, it is essential that all members of the terrorist organization, including its Syrian components, declare that they have abided by this call.

Once this situation is confirmed and registered by our country’s security institutions, Türkiye will officially be rid of the PKK terrorist organization. Only at that stage will certain legal regulations be necessary. These are complementary, consecutive processes,” he said.

Kurtulmuş rejected the notion that Parliament should implement legislative changes before disarmament takes place. “There will not be a mentality of ‘let Parliament make all legal arrangements, then the organization will take steps.’ The legal stage will only come when the PKK and all its extensions disarm,” he stressed.

He added that the legal framework will differentiate between those members of the organization who have not committed crimes and those who have received severe criminal sentences. “The arrangements for those who were not involved in crimes are relatively easier, but the regulations concerning those who received heavy sentences are far more complicated,” Kurtulmuş explained.

On the issue of official languages, the Parliament Speaker made his stance unequivocal, stressing that no other language will ever be accepted as an official language in Türkiye. “It is not even possible to debate the recognition of another language as an official language apart from Turkish. This process does not open the door to formalizing any other language in Türkiye,” he asserted.

Kurtulmuş reiterated that balance must be preserved between acknowledging Kurdish rights and respecting Turkish sensitivities. “On the one hand, you must take into account the rights and dignity of the Kurds; on the other, you must respect the sensitivities and pride of the Turks, who make up the great majority of Türkiye. This balance has been preserved up to this point,” he said.

He also clarified that Abdullah Öcalan’s views are currently being conveyed through his lawyers and representatives of the People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), adding that a direct meeting between Öcalan and the parliamentary commission is “not yet on the agenda.”

Kurtulmuş’s remarks came shortly after Türkiye’s National Security Council (MGK), chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, declared that the state’s commitment to eliminating terrorism extends not only within its borders but across neighboring regions. In its September 30 communiqué, the MGK affirmed that “no manifestation of terrorism will find a place in the neighboring geography, and expansionism based on terrorism will be categorically rejected.” The Council also reaffirmed its determination to dismantle terrorist organizations including the PKK/KCK, PYD/YPG, FETÖ, and ISIS.

The MGK addressed threats to Syria’s sovereignty and Iraq’s stability, pledging to resist attempts to pull Türkiye’s neighbors into regional conflicts. It described the removal of the “terror wall” as essential for securing peace, welfare, and stability for future generations.

President Erdoğan, returning from the United States after attending the UN General Assembly, had similarly declared that terrorist organizations would have no place in Syria’s future, underscoring his meeting with Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa as vital for restoring Damascus’s international legitimacy. He also renewed calls for lifting sanctions on Syria, stressing Ankara’s cooperation with Damascus in rebuilding the country’s economy and infrastructure.

The debate has also been shaped by heightened nationalist rhetoric. On September 26, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli accused the United States, Israel, and regional actors of trying to create a “second Israel” in northeastern Syria, warning that they were manipulating the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to obstruct Türkiye’s national security agenda.

“Many actors, especially Israel, are striving to merge areas across the Eastern Mediterranean, the south, and northeastern Syria. They are deploying all their strength to build a second Israel in northeastern Syria and to turn the peoples of the region into their colonies,” Bahçeli said, adding that Türkiye’s past cross-border operations had proven its resolve.

The MGK communiqué further condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, labeling them as genocide, and called upon the international community to urgently intervene and hold perpetrators accountable. It also reaffirmed Türkiye’s support for a two-state solution in Cyprus based on the recognition of Turkish Cypriots’ sovereign equality.

On other fronts, the Council highlighted Türkiye’s readiness to assume greater responsibility in mediating peace in the Russia-Ukraine war, and reiterated its commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s sovereignty and constitutional order. The importance of an unobstructed transport corridor between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan was also emphasized as a step toward regional peace.

Reflecting on his engagements at the UN General Assembly, Erdoğan voiced optimism that his meetings—including those with U.S. President Donald Trump and the Gaza-focused conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia—would yield positive outcomes for Türkiye and the wider region.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/86 ... -languages