Turkey Considers Pro-Kurdish Party’s Request To Meet Jailed PKK Leader Ocalan

Turkey’s Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc confirmed on Tuesday that the government is reviewing the pro-Kurdish DEM Party’s application to meet Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Tunc stated that the “process continues” and that the government is working to “determine an appropriate day” for the meeting, though he did not provide further details.

The DEM Party, which represents Turkey’s Kurdish minority, filed the request on November 26 to facilitate direct talks with Ocalan, who has been serving an aggravated life sentence since 1999 on an island prison near Istanbul. The party’s leaders aim to engage Ocalan in hopes of initiating a dialogue between the Turkish government and the PKK, a group designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.

This request follows a proposal made by President Tayyip Erdogan’s nationalist ally, who suggested the possibility of direct communication with Ocalan to address the ongoing Kurdish insurgency. The PKK’s 40-year-long conflict with the Turkish state has resulted in over 40,000 deaths, largely affecting the southeastern regions of Turkey.

The Turkish government’s stance on the PKK remains firm, and the current proposal for talks is a sensitive issue, given the history of violent conflict between the group and the state.