ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The family of Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), visited him in his island prison on Friday, his legal team said. This is the latest in a series of meetings Ocalan has had during peace talks between Ankara and the PKK.
“Mr. Abdullah Ocalan, who is being held on Imrali Island, has had a family visit today (on October 31, 2025) with family members Fatma Ocalan, Omer Ocalan, Berfin Ocalan, and Ali Ocalan,” Asrin Law Firm, which represents the jailed PKK leader, said in a post on X.
Ocalan has had an unprecedented number of visitors since peace talks began late last year. His family also visited him during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday in June.
His nephew, Omer Ocalan, is a member of the Turkish parliament. The two first met in October 2024. The pro-Kurdish Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which is mediating the peace talks, has also visited Ocalan several times.
In May, the PKK officially declared its dissolution and an end to its armed campaign, following Ocalan’s appeal for a political solution to four decades of a conflict that has claimed nearly 40,000 lives.
The group announced on Sunday that it had begun withdrawing all fighters from Turkey, saying the step had Ocalan’s approval. In announcing its withdrawal, made under the name “Kurdish Freedom Movement,” the PKK said it expects Ankara to implement a “PKK-specific Transitional Law” that would allow the group to enter politics.
A Turkish parliamentary commission is drafting the legal framework for the peace process.
“Mr. Abdullah Ocalan, who is being held on Imrali Island, has had a family visit today (on October 31, 2025) with family members Fatma Ocalan, Omer Ocalan, Berfin Ocalan, and Ali Ocalan,” Asrin Law Firm, which represents the jailed PKK leader, said in a post on X.
Ocalan has had an unprecedented number of visitors since peace talks began late last year. His family also visited him during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday in June.
His nephew, Omer Ocalan, is a member of the Turkish parliament. The two first met in October 2024. The pro-Kurdish Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which is mediating the peace talks, has also visited Ocalan several times.
In May, the PKK officially declared its dissolution and an end to its armed campaign, following Ocalan’s appeal for a political solution to four decades of a conflict that has claimed nearly 40,000 lives.
The group announced on Sunday that it had begun withdrawing all fighters from Turkey, saying the step had Ocalan’s approval. In announcing its withdrawal, made under the name “Kurdish Freedom Movement,” the PKK said it expects Ankara to implement a “PKK-specific Transitional Law” that would allow the group to enter politics.
A Turkish parliamentary commission is drafting the legal framework for the peace process.
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