Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s historic call titled “Peace and Democratic Society” led the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to convene its 12th Congress, where the organization announced the end of its armed struggle and organizational structure. It declared that it would continue its struggle with a new perspective of renewal and symbolically burned its weapons in a ceremony.
In the following eight months, the leadership of the Kurdish Freedom Movement underlined that the physical freedom of Abdullah Öcalan, as the chief negotiator, must be guaranteed and that urgent legal steps must be taken to advance the new process. As a gesture of goodwill, on 26 October, the movement announced in Qandil that its guerrilla forces in Turkey had begun withdrawing to the Medya Defense Zones.
Öztürk Türkdoğan, Co-Spokesperson of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Commission for Law and Human Rights, spoke to ANF about the historic step taken by the Kurdish Freedom Movement regarding the “Peace and Democratic Society Process.”
Türkdoğan said, “The Kurdish Freedom Movement’s decision to withdraw from Turkey is highly significant, but it also serves as a reminder to the government. We demand that the commission visit Mr. Öcalan on Imralı Island without delay, receive his views, and outline a framework for democratic integration laws.”
A reminder for legal regulations
Öztürk Türkdoğan stated that the Kurdish Freedom Movement’s decision to withdraw from Turkey was, in fact, a continuation of its previous steps. Türkdoğan said the organization took this step as part of the same process after dissolving itself, deciding to disarm, and burning its weapons on 11 July.
Türkdoğan underlined that this step is not only important for the progress of the process but also serves as a reminder to the government. He said, “For disarmament processes to move forward, there must be a legal basis and a legislative framework. The parliamentary commission established on 5 August has been continuing its work. In fact, the commission should have prepared and presented a legal framework when Parliament reopened, but that never happened. The step taken by the leadership of the Kurdish Freedom Movement on 26 October 2025 has once again served as a reminder of the need for legal regulations.”
Now, legal steps must be taken
Türkdoğan evaluated the government’s approach of spreading out its required steps over time while the Kurdish Freedom Movement continues to take consecutive goodwill initiatives. He noted that although many refer to this as a “new process,” it is not actually new but rather a continuation of the peace process initiated by Abdullah Öcalan in 1993.
Türkdoğan said, “The search for peace in the Kurdish question has now entered its thirty-second year. We are in the thirty-second year of our efforts to end the conflict, achieve peace by completely removing weapons from the equation, and resolve the Kurdish question through peace. At this point, there must be concrete progress. Mr. Öcalan has repeatedly shown his determination on this matter. Once again, he has demonstrated his resolve and made his request, and the movement has taken this step in line with his appeal. Now, by its very nature, legal steps must be taken.”
Türkdoğan explained the situation using a series of analogies and said: “In conflict-resolution processes, momentum must be maintained, much like pedaling a bicycle, the motion must continue without pause. It can also be compared to climbing a staircase, where each step must lead upward, one after another. As Devlet Bahçeli once said, ‘A bird cannot fly with one wing.’ For the other wing to rise and support the flight, the government and the state must now take action. A strong reminder in this regard was made on 26 November.
What is needed here is not to engage in blame, saying things like ‘You did this, I did that,’ or ‘You didn’t do this, I didn’t do that,’ but to adopt a more constructive approach to advance the process. Yesterday, the Kurdish Freedom Movement in fact presented this constructive attitude. This is important, as it demonstrates a clear determination for the continuation of the disarmament process.”
We always want to look forward
Türkdoğan said that the parliamentary commission continues its work within this framework, emphasizing that the commission must listen to Mr. Öcalan and then present a legal framework based on his views. He explained that the commission is expected to propose and present a legal framework for the process of democratic integration, after which political parties will also assume their respective responsibilities.
Türkdoğan stated that the DEM Party has fulfilled its responsibilities to ensure the progress of the process and said, “We always want to look forward. That is our perspective. With such an outlook, we naturally believe that the political authorities will also take the necessary steps.”
Turkey has not yet achieved peace
Türkdoğan responded to a question about the recent extension of the war mandate for Iraq and Syria, which was approved with the votes of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and the Good (IYI) Party. Türkdoğan said, “Turkey has not yet achieved peace. Ultimately, we are building the process of peace and democratic society. In other words, we are striving to make this process possible. For peace to exist, both the negative and positive stages of peace must take place, and this requires new laws. We are carrying out this struggle to ensure that those laws are enacted.”
Türkdoğan also said, “Therefore, we leave aside the government’s habitual approach, the tendency of the state and the ruling power to preserve the instruments it can use at will. For now, I prefer not to comment further on that. We are advancing the process on our own terms.
If it continues this way, the government will eventually have to take action, especially since Mr. Öcalan’s determination will make such steps inevitable. Indeed, the recent statement by the Speaker of Parliament shows that yesterday’s move by the Kurdish Freedom Movement has already created a positive impact. We will see how the next stages unfold.”
The model of achieving peace through democracy has not worked in Turkey
Öztürk Türkdoğan addressed the government’s increasing attacks on the main opposition, its attempts to silence the critical media through the judiciary, and its overall practice of suppressing dissenting voices. He also spoke about the contradiction this creates within the ongoing process and the concerns it generates among the public.
Türkdoğan underlined that the phase of democratization has never been realized without first establishing peace, stressing that their immediate goal is to build and achieve peace. He pointed out that Turkey faces one of the most complex models of conflict resolution compared to global examples and said: “As someone who has worked for many years in the field of human rights, served as Co-Chair of the Human Rights Association (IHD), and studied international examples, I can state clearly that once the phase of peace is achieved, the path toward democratization will become much easier.
When people criticize the process, they often say, ‘How can there be peace without democracy?’ However, the model of achieving peace through democracy has not worked in Turkey. The 2013–2015 period demonstrated this painfully. Since 2015, Turkey has entered an uninterrupted nine-year period of conflict.
Now we are demonstrating our determination to achieve the phase of peace. We are carrying out a process aimed at building peace, where weapons and violence are completely set aside, and the government is compelled to take steps toward lasting peace. If we can achieve peace, you will see that democratization will follow swiftly.”
Türkdoğan also added, “The idea that ‘we should establish democracy first, and then peace will come’ is, in this sense, an illusion. I can give other examples of this. In 1999, Turkey began its European Union (EU) accession process. The expectation was that Turkey would solve the Kurdish issue by joining the EU and democratizing. What happened? It did not work. Many models have been tried, but none succeeded.
That is why Mr. Öcalan took a very serious decision to silence the weapons and dissolve the organization and put it into practice. We are now living through the stage of building that process. We will continue to construct the peace process with determination to break the vicious cycle of authoritarian and anti-democratic practices.
We already stand side by side with the main opposition party in this struggle for democracy. On Sunday evening, our Co-Chairs were in front of the Tele1 studios. We always stand with the Republican People’s Party (CHP). We are the first to react against the injustices they face.
Many of our comrades are still in prison. Dear Selahattin Demirtaş and dear Figen Yüksekdağ remain behind bars. For this reason, we are urging and pressing the government to take steps toward the peace process. We are trying to persuade them, we are insisting on it.
When these steps are taken, a completely new atmosphere will emerge. What we are trying now is a method that has not been tried before: to establish peace first, but while doing so, to never step back from the struggle for democracy. This is crucial, because it is one of the very reasons for our existence.”
The commission must visit Mr. Öcalan on Imralı without delay
Öztürk Türkdoğan said that as a result of the long struggle for peace, for the first time in Turkey’s history, a parliamentary commission had been established to work on a democratic solution to the Kurdish question. Türkdoğan emphasized that steps must now be taken to advance the process, the most important of which would be the commission’s visit to Mr. Öcalan.
Türkdoğan concluded his remarks: “We demand that the commission visit Mr. Öcalan on Imralı Island without delay, receive his views, and outline a framework for democratic integration laws. The Speaker of Parliament had previously stated that this issue would be addressed when the time was right, indicating that it was a matter of timing. We now believe that time has come. Therefore, we expect a positive development in this regard in the coming days. It would be of great benefit for the commission to go to Imralı. That is what we are waiting for.
The Kurdish Movement consistently emphasizes its determination, stating that it follows Mr. Öcalan’s decisions and fulfills his demands, taking steps accordingly. This step is not a tactical move but a strategic one. Therefore, after observing these developments, the government may begin or accelerate the necessary legislative processes.
We can ensure progress by maintaining a positive outlook and using the language of peace. On 26 October, when Sabri Ok read the Kurdish Freedom Movement’s statement, a journalist asked him, ‘What if the process breaks down?’ Sabri Ok responded that such a development was not currently on the agenda and highlighted the importance of approaching the process with a positive perspective.
For this reason, all political parties represented in Parliament, including us, must look forward with a constructive and positive attitude.”