Jailed PKK leader granted rare family visit

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan was granted a rare family visit on the occasion of the Muslim Eid al-Adha, his legal team said on Sunday.

In a statement posted on X, the Asrin Law Office said that Ocalan received his “nephews Omer Ocalan and Ali Ocalan, along with their two children” on Saturday.

Omer Ocalan quoted his uncle as extending his congratulations to “our people” and noting that he marked the occasion “without offerings,” an implicit reference to celebrating bars on Imrali island, where he has been jailed since 1999.

Eid al-Adha commemorates the Quranic and Biblical story of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), who was willing to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael) as an act of obedience to God. Before the sacrifice could take place, God provided a ram to be offered instead. Muslims across the globe mark the occasion annually by the ritual of Qurbani (Udhiya), the offering of an animal sacrifice.

Omer Ocalan also remarked, “Our belief has been reinforced that the [peace] process which began with the [PKK leader’s message titled] the Call for Peace and a Democratic Society will open the door to a new politics, a new form of organization, and the construction of a new meaning.”

In late February, the PKK leader had called on the Kurdish group to convene a congress to decide on dissolving itself and laying down its arms, emphasizing the need to transition from decades of armed struggle to a political path

The call came amid renewed peace efforts led by Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party, the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), whose delegates held several meetings with Ocalan in the past few months.

Although the PKK initially insisted it would not hold a congress without Ocalan’s release and physical presence, it eventually convened the congress in early May and responded positively to his appeal. The group described the move as a step toward a peaceful resolution to a conflict that has lasted more than 40 years, claiming over 40,000 lives, including an estimated 35,000 PKK fighters.

Following the congress, Ocalan stressed the need for “a new covenant based on the law of brotherhood,” describing the Turkish-Kurdish relationship as “entirely unique.” He stated, “What has been damaged is the relationship between brothers; brothers may quarrel, but one cannot be without the other.”

“We are, step by step, clearing the traps and mines that have disrupted this relationship and repairing the broken roads and bridges,” he said, calling the current developments “a major paradigm shift.”

For its part, Ankara welcomed the PKK’s decision but has insisted that concrete steps begin with full disarmament. In turn, the PKK has called on the Turkish government to take legal and legislative actions to support the peace process and cease military operations.

Importantly, despite progress on peace talks between the PKK and Ankara, which are believed to have unofficially started last year, both sides blame one another for slow progress.

The Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), a US-based human rights organization closely monitoring Ankara’s operations in the Kurdistan Region, said in a report late Wednesday that Turkey's attacks in the Kurdistan Region increased by 143 percent in May, compared to the previous month. It added that all attacks were carried out in the Region's northern Duhok province, mainly Amedi district.

In May, "at least 510 bombardments and attacks have been recorded in Iraqi Kurdistan, all within the Duhok province, with no strikes or attacks by the Turkish Armed Forces recorded in other governorates. These include 458 artillery shellings, 36 airstrikes, and 16 helicopter attacks. Additionally, compared to March, there has been a 332% increase in bombardments and strikes in May," CPT said.

Saturday’s visit marks the second time Ocalan has received family members this year. In early April, Omer Ocalan also visited him during Newroz - the Kurdish New Year - and the Muslim Eid al-Fitr. On that occasion, he quoted the PKK leader as saluting “our people’s passionate embrace of the Call for Peace and a Democratic Society.”

The PKK, founded in 1978, initially sought an independent Kurdish state, but later shifted its focus to securing broader political and cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey. The group is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.