Far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli’s recent call to Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), to urge his outlawed group to lay down its arms, hinting at the possibility of his release from prison, has sparked outrage and skepticism among several opposition parties, while receiving support from pro-Kurdish politicians.
The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
Bahçeli, a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, suggested during a party meeting on Tuesday that if Öcalan’s “isolation” were lifted, he could appear at the party group meeting of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and declare the dissolution of the PKK, signaling an end to decades of violence.
The “isolation” of Öcalan, who has been jailed in a high-security prison on İmralı Island in the Sea of Marmara since 1999, refers to his inability to speak with his lawyers for years.
Bahçeli also suggested that if Öcalan takes this step, there could be legislative action to pave the way for his possible release.
Erdoğan backed Bahçeli’s call during a party meeting later on Tuesday, saying that a historic opportunity to resolve the Kurdish issue should not be missed.
“The historic window of opportunity we have opened as the Public Alliance must not be sacrificed to ambition,” Erdoğan said, referring to his party’s alliance with the MHP.
“We want to create a Turkey where terrorism no longer exists,” the president said.
While pro-Kurdish politicians also supported the far-right leader’s call, viewing it as a potential step toward resolving Turkey’s longstanding Kurdish issue, the call drew outrage and skepticism from the opposition.
The “Kurdish issue,” a term prevalent in Turkey’s public discourse, refers to the demand for equal rights by the country’s Kurdish population and their struggle for recognition.
Özgür Özel, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), expressed skepticism about Bahçeli’s proposal in a speech during his party’s group meeting on Tuesday, arguing that such initiatives would not succeed without broader social consensus.
While affirming the CHP’s support for ending terrorism, Özel stressed that the Kurdish issue can only be resolved through a “transparent and accountable” process involving all political parties in parliament. He said a solution requires inclusive efforts, not the actions of a single figure.
However, Ankara’s popular CHP mayor, Mansur Yavaş, stated on X that the path to achieving peace and tranquility in Turkey is not through allowing Öcalan to speak under the roof of parliament.
“The nation and history would not forgive this,” Yavaş said.
Bu ülkede huzurun ve barışın hakim olması en büyük dileğimizdir.
Ama bunun yolu terörist başının Gazi Meclisimiz çatısı altında konuşturulması asla değildir.
Millet de tarih de bunu affetmez.
— Mansur Yavaş (@mansuryavas06) October 22, 2024
Nationalist opposition İYİ (Good) Party leader Müsavat Dervişoğlu expressed strong criticism of Bahçeli during his party’s group meeting on Wednesday.
Dervişoğlu threw a rope from the podium, saying to Bahçeli, “You have destroyed the memories of this great nation and murdered its future. Now take this rope and hang it above your head.”
He was referring to Bahçeli’s strong reaction during a rally in 2007 to the then-prime minister Erdoğan’s remarks about not executing Öcalan after his capture in 1999, throwing a noose from the podium.
“If the [MHP] had been the sole ruling party in parliament and had a majority like yours, then you would have seen whether [Öcalan] would have been hanged. … Why aren’t you hanging him? … Can’t you find a rope to hang him with? … Here, I’m giving you a rope, take it and hang him!” he had said.
Erdoğan and Bahçeli became allies in 2018, in preparation for that year’s general election.
Meanwhile, Gültan Kışanak, former MP and co-mayor of the predominantly Kurdish province of Diyarbakır, also expressed support for Bahçeli’s proposal in an appearance on İlke TV and raised the offer by saying, “Perhaps we can hear Mr. Öcalan’s voice on October 29, the anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic [of Turkey].