Ocalan to join PKK disarmament committee

Shafaq News- Ankara

The imprisoned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan will take part in a committee overseeing the group's disarmament, Omer Celik, a senior adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced on Thursday.

Speaking to Turkish journalists, the adviser said Ocalan will join the sub-committee dealing with disarmament, clarifying that this does not mean his release from prison.

Private broadcaster NTV quoted the adviser as saying the arrangement is meant to let Ocalan take a more direct part in shaping the process. "This is a dialogue process being carried out with Ocalan," he added, noting that “the goal is difficult: ensuring the dissolution of the armed group."

The Turkish parliament passed a law in August granting limited amnesty to PKK fighters, marking the first legislative step in the process to end the conflict.

Four sub-committees were formed to oversee the practical steps of the PKK's dissolution, following Ocalan's call for the group to disband. One of them focuses on disarmament.

The law did not determine Ocalan's fate. The 77-year-old has been held for 27 years in a prison on Imrali Island off the coast of Istanbul, while the party's leadership has repeatedly called for his release as part of the process.

From his cell on Imrali Island, Ocalan has played a central role in advancing efforts to end the decades-long conflict, particularly through his call in May 2025 for the group to end its armed activity and dissolve itself. 

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