Guerrilla Commander Murat Karayılan made significant statements to the press on March 18. In the statement, which also included Newroz greetings for Abdullah Öcalan and the people ahead of the celebrations, it was announced that a meeting evaluating one year of guerrilla activities under a ceasefire position had been successfully held. As a reflection of the approach adopted at this guerrilla meeting, Murat Karayılan said, “The guerrillas want to see Abdullah Öcalan, to meet with him and to be in dialogue with him.”
Undoubtedly, the guerrillas’ desire to see their leader is a requirement of the current Peace and Democratic Society Process, and this demand, in the nature of a proposal, should be considered reasonable by the relevant actors. Some circles, upon hearing this demand, may have wondered, “Have they not been meeting until now?” Because many assume that, as necessitated by the current process, Abdullah Öcalan is frequently meeting and holding discussions with his organizational comrades. Indeed, this is what the process would require. However, it is understood from Murat Karayılan’s statement that such meetings are either not taking place or occurring only to a limited extent.
He continued that this situation is, without question, astounding. While President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chair Devlet Bahçeli make positive statements regarding the process, it raises a critical question: how can the process progress positively in an environment where the guerrillas and Abdullah Öcalan are unable even to meet?
Moreover, it has been repeatedly announced that legal steps regarding the process would be taken after the holiday, and that laws enabling the channeling of the guerrillas into democratic politics would be introduced, creating a strong expectation among the public. The outcome report prepared by the parliamentary commission established under the name “National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission” also necessitates the sequential enactment of such laws. Now that the holiday has passed, all eyes have turned to the legislation that the parliament is expected to prepare.
However, will such a legal process truly move forward, and will the anticipated laws be enacted without delay? If these laws are not introduced and the promises made to the public are not fulfilled, the pressure of society on the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government will increase. Let us assume that the current government does pass these laws and opens the way for the guerrillas to lay down their arms and transition into democratic politics. In that case, who will ensure that the guerrillas undergo this transformation within the framework of these laws? It is clear that only Abdullah Öcalan can carry out such a process, and it is not possible for any other individual or institution to do so.
Murat Karayılan also underlined this reality in his statement, explicitly emphasizing this point. The demand for meetings and dialogue essentially arises from this necessity. But how will these steps be carried out if Abdullah Öcalan and the guerrillas are unable to meet? It is evident that without meetings and a continuous dialogue between Abdullah Öcalan and the guerrillas, even if laws that could be described as positive are adopted, it will not be possible to implement their requirements in practice.
It appears that the reasons behind this situation have become a new source of question marks and doubt. At a time when the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has dissolved itself, ended its strategy of armed struggle, and when, on July 11, 2025, 30 guerrillas burned their weapons, the fact that the guerrillas cannot meet with or consult their leader is neither reasonable nor acceptable. If the AKP government genuinely intends to advance and conclude the Peace and Democratic Society Process, it must first respond to this demand coming from the guerrillas. To do so, it must change Abdullah Öcalan’s conditions and ensure that he attains conditions in which he can live and work freely, and it must do so without delaying even a single day. Otherwise, doubts regarding the AKP’s approach to the process will persist, and the government will not be seen as credible.
Moreover, the demand to see and meet Abdullah Öcalan is not limited to the guerrillas alone. From the youngest to the oldest, the entire Kurdish people and their allies also want to see and speak with Öcalan. The most concrete proof of this has been the Newroz celebrations that have taken place since March 11. Anyone looking at the millions who filled the squares, from Diyarbakır (Amed) to Frankfurt and from Van (Wan) to Istanbul, across Kurdistan and around the world can clearly see this reality. One is confronted with the fact that Kurds and their allies, in great unity and enthusiasm, have echoed the demand for “Abdullah Öcalan’s physical freedom” in the squares.
We had also drawn attention to this point last week, stating that even before it took place, Newroz 2026 would become the most magnificent Newroz in history and would be marked as the Newroz of “physical freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and democratic Kurdish unity.” What unfolded surpassed even our own assessment many times over. Despite heavy rain and snowfall in nearly every location, tens of millions filled Newroz squares, undeterred by cold and mud, demanding Abdullah Öcalan’s physical freedom. Abdullah Öcalan’s Newroz message, read at all celebrations, was met with minutes of applause everywhere under the slogan “Bijî Serok Apo” (Long live Abdullah Öcalan). In this sense, Newroz 2026 truly became a referendum demanding Abdullah Öcalan’s physical freedom while embracing the Peace and Democratic Society Process.
As the saying goes, the sun cannot be covered with mud. It is clear that the reality of Newroz 2026 cannot be ignored or pushed aside in any way. Therefore, the AKP government must now fulfill the demands of both the guerrillas and the people, and create conditions in which Abdullah Öcalan can meet and engage with everyone he wishes. Prolonging this any further will harm not only the AKP government but also politics in Turkey as a whole. The walls of Imralı must now be torn down, and the chains of captivity must be broken. Conditions in which Abdullah Öcalan can live and work freely, and maintain relations with all whom he chooses, must be established without delaying even a single day.
Undoubtedly, the historic message of Newroz 2026 is not directed solely at the AKP government and the state. At the same time, it delivers a clear and concrete message to Kurdish politics as well. The millions who took part in the Newroz celebrations demanded, without delay, the creation of Democratic Kurdish Unity. This demand even became the central slogan, and thus the core demand of Newroz 2026.
As is known, the call for democratic unity among the Kurdish people and their allies is not new. Since January, one of the main demands voiced by the masses who have filled the squares in support of the Rojava Revolution has been precisely this. The same demand was also expressed during the powerful and vibrant celebrations of International Women’s Day on March 8, and it reached its peak during the Newroz celebrations.
Therefore, no Kurdish party or organization, that is, no part of Kurdish politics, can continue to ignore this strong call. Narrow personal or partisan interests cannot be placed above the democratic interests of the nation. Those who attempt to do so will be set aside by the Kurdish masses, who are highly conscious and determined. It is clear that parties and organizations that do not wish to fall into such a position must act, without delaying even a single day, to establish Democratic Kurdish Unity. Overcoming difficulties and removing obstacles on this path is a requirement of being patriotic and democratic.
On this basis, we once again celebrate the Newroz of Abdullah Öcalan, the guerrillas, all Kurds, and their allies, and, in line with the historic call of Newroz, we express the hope that Abdullah Öcalan will immediately attain conditions in which he can live and work freely.
Source: Yeni Özgür Politika