ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Tuesday said the group cannot lay down arms or dissolve unless political and legal reforms are made.
Bese Hozat, the co-chair of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), said the Turkish government has not taken any steps for the process to progress. "The fundamental requirement for the PKK to lay down its arms is the formation of a democratic political and legal dimension. Without this, the PKK cannot lay down its arms or dissolve itself,” she emphasized.
PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan issued a historic message in late February telling the group to convene a congress and “make the decision to integrate with the state and society; all groups should lay down their arms and the PKK should dissolve itself.”
The message was relayed through the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which has been mediating peace efforts between Ankara and the PKK, including holding meetings with Ocalan.
In October, Devlet Bahceli, leader of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), called on Abdullah Ocalan to address the Turkish parliament and announce the dissolution of the PKK. He also suggested that Ocalan should benefit from the “right to hope” law, which could pave the way for his release if certain conditions are met.
However, Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc has repeatedly stated that there is no legal basis for granting Ocalan any right to release under the "right to hope" regulation. The law concerns prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment who are otherwise ineligible for conditional release.
Ocalan, who founded the PKK in 1978 and launched a war against the Turkish state six years later, has been jailed on Imrali Island since 1999. The PKK leader’s message sparked hope for an end to the conflict that has taken 40,000 lives.
"You are starting such a serious process; of course, you will change the legislation. If you are serious and sincere, you will change that legislation," Hozat said, commenting on Tunc’s position.
Following Ocalan’s message, the PKK declared a unilateral ceasefire but set their leader’s release from prison as a precondition to laying down arms and disbanding. The group said it cannot make such decisions without the physical attendance of their leader at the congress he urged for.