Jailed PKK leader will make video statement as part of peace efforts: pro-Kurdish party leader

Tülay Hatimoğulları, co-chair of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), has said that jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan will make a video statement as part of ongoing efforts to restart peace talks with the Turkish government, despite the justice minister insisting such a broadcast is not permitted under law, the Velev news website reported on Monday.

Hatimoğulları told Medya TV that the information they have indicates Öcalan’s upcoming message will be in video form, contradicting a statement by Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, who ruled out the possibility.

Hatimoğulları criticized Tunç’s remarks, saying, “We hope the government as a whole does not think like the minister.” She added that debating the format of the statement while claiming to seek peace was contradictory, stating, “It is not possible to talk about a healthy dialogue environment under these conditions. This means [Öcalan’s] isolation continues.”

Öcalan, imprisoned since 1999 on İmralı Island south of İstanbul, has remained in near-total isolation in recent years, with restricted contact even with his lawyers and family. However, in recent months, he has met twice with DEM Party representatives as part of a renewed push for a political resolution to Turkey’s decades-long Kurdish conflict. The initiative follows an unexpected call in October by Devlet Bahçeli, leader of Turkey’s far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), who suggested Öcalan should renounce violence in exchange for a possible early release. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later described the situation as a “historic window of opportunity” for peace.

While pro-Kurdish politicians insist Öcalan’s message must be delivered in video format,  Justice Minister Tunç, speaking to the TGRT Haber network on Thursday, said that while two meetings with Öcalan had been permitted as part of the peace efforts, current regulations do not allow convicts to address the public via video.

“Our regulations do not allow a convict to address the public via video. This is not legally possible. It is important to clear up any misunderstandings. Our goal is to rid our country of terrorism,” Tunç said.

DEM Party Co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan, speaking at the party’s Tunceli provincial congress on Saturday, pushed back against Tunç’s stance, arguing that authorities should find a way to facilitate the message’s release. He noted that Bahçeli himself had previously suggested Öcalan could speak at the DEM Party’s parliamentary group meeting, saying, “Now, Mr. Minister, it’s up to you to figure out the rest.”

Bakırhan also sought to clarify that Öcalan’s upcoming call for peace would not mark the end of the pro-Kurdish political struggle.

“After that call, we will see what the pro-trusteeship mindset does in concrete terms,” he said, referring to the government’s frequent practice of appointing trustees to replace elected Kurdish mayors. “This does not mean the end of our struggle. On the contrary, we will continue to organize, expand and fight on a stronger and more democratic foundation.”

The debate over Öcalan’s statement comes amid ongoing government crackdowns on Kurdish politicians. Just days ago, Turkish authorities removed Van Mayor Abdullah Zeydan from office, citing a prior terrorism conviction, and appointed the city’s governor as trustee in his place. The move triggered protests, with police using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators, detaining more than 400 people, including journalists covering the protests.

The government’s simultaneous engagement in peace discussions with Öcalan while cracking down on Kurdish political figures has raised questions about its intentions. The DEM Party has called on authorities to allow Öcalan’s message to be delivered freely, arguing that suppressing his statement would cast doubt on the sincerity of the government’s peace efforts.

Hatimoğulları, speaking to Alevi organizations in Europe on Monday, suggested that Öcalan’s statement would likely be released by late February or early March, the Bianet news website reported. She said the message would emphasize a political and democratic resolution to the Kurdish issue, calling for “coexistence, Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood and equal citizenship rights for all communities and faiths in Turkey.”

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the format of Öcalan’s statement, pro-Kurdish politicians insist that his participation is crucial to any future peace process. “A way must be found to ensure that this historic call from Mr. Öcalan reaches the people of Turkey in real time,” Bakırhan said. “At that point, we will see who is sincere about peace and who is not.”