World · Middle East · 2 hrs ago
PKK says Turkey is not doing enough to advance peace process
The PKK says Turkey is doing too little to advance peace in a process that began in 2024.
The Kurdish group says it has withdrawn all its combat forces from Turkey and nearby border areas.
The withdrawal is meant to end the PKK’s armed struggle and allow it to pursue political change, the group says.
In August, Turkey’s parliament passed a law offering limited amnesty for PKK militants, the first legislative step toward ending a conflict that has killed about 50,000 people over decades.
The law does not say what will happen to jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has spent 27 years in solitary confinement on an island prison near Istanbul.
A Turkish adviser said Ocalan could join a disarmament panel but would not necessarily be released, while the PKK continues to demand his freedom and further steps from the state.
The PKK accused the Turkish state of doing little to advance a peace process that began in 2024.
The group said it had withdrawn all its combat forces from Turkey, including forces near the border.
Turkey’s parliament passed a law in August offering limited amnesty to PKK militants, in what the article described as the first legislative step toward ending the conflict.
The law did not specify what would happen to jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.
A Turkish adviser said in September that Ocalan would join a disarmament panel but would not necessarily be released.
- Who
- The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) accused the Turkish state of failing to do enough. The process also involves jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.
- What
- The PKK said it had withdrawn its combat forces and urged Turkey to take further steps, including on freedom laws.
- When
- The accusation was reported on October 8, 2026. The peace process began in 2024.
- Where
- The conflict is between the PKK and Turkey. Ocalan is held on Imrali prison island near Istanbul.
- Why
- The PKK said it had withdrawn its forces to prevent the government from making excuses for what it called an inadequate approach to the process.
PKK
Turkish state
Peace process
PKK
The PKK said Turkey was doing little to advance the process.
Turkish state
Parliament passed a law offering limited amnesty to PKK militants as a legislative step toward ending the conflict.
Ocalan’s role
PKK
The PKK has repeatedly demanded Ocalan’s freedom as part of the process.
Turkish state
A Turkish adviser said Ocalan would join a disarmament panel, but that this did not mean he would be released.
Next steps
PKK
The PKK said freedom laws were needed and warned that inaction would continue policies of denial and destruction.
Turkish state
The sources do not state the Turkish state’s response to the PKK’s accusation.
The peace process began.
Turkey’s parliament passed a law offering limited amnesty to PKK militants.
A top adviser to President Erdogan said Ocalan would join a disarmament panel, while noting this did not mean he would be released.
The PKK accused the Turkish state of doing little to pursue the peace process and said it had withdrawn its combat forces.
- Conflict death toll
- Some 50,000 people over decades
- Parliamentary law
- Passed in August 2026; offers limited amnesty for PKK militants
- PKK withdrawal
- The group said it withdrew all armed forces within and outside Turkey that could be considered near the border
- Abdullah Ocalan
- 77 years old; held on Imrali prison island near Istanbul
- Ocalan’s imprisonment
- The article said he had spent 27 years in solitary confinement
What people are saying
We have withdrawn all our armed forces, both within and outside of Turkiye, that could be considered near the border
Thus, the requirements of our strategy to end the armed struggle against Turkiye and engage in democratic political struggle have been fully fulfilled
If the value and meaning of these steps we have taken are not understood, and if no steps are taken regarding freedom laws, primarily the freedom of our Leader, this will mean that the Turkish state will continue its century-old policies of denial and destruction