Politics · Turkey · 2 hrs ago
Turkey moves PKK leader Ocalan to a new part of prison
Turkey moved Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan to a newly built section of the prison where he has been held since 1999.
Ocalan, who leads the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), is imprisoned on Imrali, an island in the Marmara Sea.
Improving his prison conditions has been a key Kurdish demand in efforts to end a 42-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish authorities.
Kurdish lawmaker Mithat Sancar confirmed the move and said the peace process had been paused for two months.
He said the relocation should speed up peace negotiations, but did not give details about the new section or confirm that it offers better conditions.
Ocalan called on the PKK to disband and disarm in February 2025, and the group later announced it would lay down its arms and end hostilities.
Turkey’s parliament approved a conditional pardon for thousands of PKK fighters in August, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed it into law; the conflict has killed tens of thousands since 1984.
Turkey has moved Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), to a newly built section of an island prison.
Kurdish official Mithat Sancar confirmed the relocation in an interview with Medya Haber TV on Saturday.
Improving Ocalan’s prison conditions has been a key Kurdish demand in efforts to end the conflict.
Sancar said the move necessitates speeding up the peace process, which he said had been paused for two months.
Ocalan has been imprisoned on Imrali island since his capture in 1999.
- Who
- Turkey moved Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK leader. Kurdish official Mithat Sancar confirmed the move.
- What
- Ocalan was moved to a newly built section of an island prison.
- When
- Sancar confirmed the move on Saturday. The exact date is not stated.
- Where
- Imrali island, in the Marmara Sea.
- Why
- The move was described as part of efforts to end decades of conflict. Improving Ocalan’s prison conditions has been a key Kurdish demand.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Ocalan was captured and imprisoned on Imrali island.
Ocalan called on the PKK to disband and disarm.
The PKK announced it would lay down its arms and end hostilities.
Turkey’s parliament approved legislation offering a conditional pardon to thousands of PKK fighters, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later signed into law.
Sancar confirmed that Ocalan had been moved to a newly built section of the prison.
- Prison island
- Imrali, in the Marmara Sea
- Prisoner
- Abdullah Ocalan, PKK leader
- Imprisoned since
- 1999
- Official confirming move
- Mithat Sancar
- Conflict duration
- 42 years
3 sources
What people are saying
necessitates an acceleration of the (peace) process.
The process cannot proceed with unilateral expectations and demands
needs to move away from its insistent and rigid stance.