Yesterday marked a profoundly historic day for the people of Turkey, Kurdistan, and the Middle East.
At 17:00 local time in Istanbul, a group of 7 delegates of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) gave a long-awaited press conference after meeting with PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan for the 3rd time. In this meeting, Öcalan’s “Call for Peace and Democratic Society” was read to the public, stating the following:
Call for Peace and Democratic Society
The PKK was born in the 20th century, in the most violent epoch of the history of humanity, amidst the two World wars, under the shadow of the experience of real socialism and the cold war around the World. The outright denial of Kurdish reality, restrictions on basic rights and freedoms – especially freedom of expression – played a significant role in its emergence and development.
The PKK has been under the heavy realities of the century and the system of real socialism in terms of its adopted theory, program, strategy and tactics. In the 1990s, with the collapse of real socialism due to internal dynamics, the dissolution of the denial of Kurdish identity in the country, and improvements in freedom of expression, led to weakening of the PKK´s foundational meaningfulness and resulted in excessive repetition. Therefore, it has run its course like its counterparts and has necessitated its dissolution.
Throughout the history of more than 1000 years, Turkish and Kurdish relations were defined in terms of mutual cooperation and alliance, and Turks and Kurds have found it essential to remain in this voluntary alliance to maintain their existence and survive against hegemonic Powers.
The last 200 years of capitalist modernity have been marked by primarily with the aim to break this alliance. The forces involved, in line with their class-based interests, have played a key role in furthering this objective. With monist interpretations of the Republic, this process has accelerated. Today, the main task is to restructure the historical relationship, which has become extremely fragile, without excluding consideration for beliefs with the spirit of fraternity.
The need for a democratic society is inevitable. The PKK, the longest and most extensive insurgency and armed movement in the history of the Republic, found social base and support, and was primarily inspired by the fact that the channels of democratic politics were closed.
The inevitable outcome of the extreme nationalist deviations – such as a separate nation-state, federation, administrative autonomy, or culturalist solutions – fails to answer the historical sociology of the society.
Respect for identities, free self-expression, democratic self-organization of each segment of society based on their own socio-economic and political structures, are only possible through the existence of a democratic society and political space.
The second century of the Republic can achieve and assure permanent and fraternal continuity only if it is crowned with democracy. There is no alternative to democracy in the pursuit and realization of a political system. Democratic consensus is the fundamental way.
The language of the epoch of peace and democratic society needs to be developed in accordance with this reality.
The call made by Mr. Devlet Bahceli, along with the will expressed by Mr. President, and the positive responses from the other political parties towards the known call, has created an environment in which I am making a call for the laying down of arms, and I take on the historical responsibility of this call.
As in the case with any modern community and party whose existence has not been abolished by force, convene your congress to integrate with the state and society voluntarily and make a decision; all groups must lay their arms and the PKK must dissolve itself.
I convey my greetings to all those who believe in co-existence and who look forward to my call.
February 25, 2025
Abdullah Öcalan
Mr. Öcalan’s additional note conveyed via the İmralı Delegation:
“Undoubtedly, the laying down of arms and the dissolution of the PKK in practice require the recognition of democratic politics and a legal framework.”
The call is to be understood as a result of the shift in paradigm, which Öcalan initiated already in the early 2000s. Öcalan has been advocating for a political and democratic solution for the Kurdish question since then, both analysing the current conflict historically, looking at the root of violence, power, and state, as well as proposing a radical alternative within the paradigm of Democratic Modernity, whose main actor is the political and moral society itself. The call starts with a look into the history, shedding light on the conditions out of which the PKK (Kurdistan Worker’s Party) developed in the late 70s, such as underlining the common history of the Kurdish and Turkish people and their need for reconciliation, the brother and sisterhood of the people.
While amplifying the necessity out of which the PKK emerged in the past, Öcalan remembers that “the need for a democratic society is inevitable” and that the language of the epoch of peace and democratic society needs to be developed according to this.
Considering his concrete proposals in the past for building up the social system of Democratic Confederalism and peaceful self-governance of the people, in this letter Öcalan calls the PKK to hold a congress, lay down the weapons, and dissolve the party.
With his call, Öcalan introduces a new phase, a phase that could develop on a political and legal basis if the Turkish state is willing to participate. The call is therefore not to be understood as a capitulation, nor as a step back or resignment, but as an offensive towards opening up new political dimensions of struggle. It is now the turn of the state to demonstrate how much they are willing to take part in this phase in order to break the vicious circle of violence. This would mean concrete steps would have to be taken quite soon, such as the release of Öcalan from isolation in order for him to be able to actively participate in the process. At the same time, an immediate ceasefire from the side of the Turkish state, as well as the construction of a parliamentary commission working on the solution process and many more changes in favor of the Kurdish people and other minorities, is to be done.
In other words, the resolution of the party is not thinkable without the necessary conditions to apply first, meaning the “recognition of democratic politics and a legal framework”, according to Öcalan.
This new phase is exactly according to the plan that Öcalan has been proposing for the last 20 years and can be seen as a radical step towards opening up new political dimensions of struggle.
As Murat Karayilan, the General Command of Peoples’ Defense Forces (HPG), has underlined in his last interview to Stêrk TV on the 6th of February, it is impossible to lay down arms for them if the current situation of warfare continues as before. Karayilan pointed out that the PKK is a movement with “tens of thousands of armed fighters […] This force is not here for money, but is an ideological force, a community of believers “. A call for disarmament will not be enough. Considering everyday attacks by the Turkish military against positions of the PKK, laying down arms is simply not realistic. As long as Öcalan does not have the possibility to communicate with the PKK directly, to prepare and participate in such a congress himself, meaning as long as Öcalan is not physically released from isolation, the discussions about disarmament are bottomless.
The call is to be understood as an extended hand from Öcalan. At this point he has done everything in hand to push forward a real solution to the decade-long conflict, just as the PKK has done by declaring multiple ceasefires in the past that have been left unanswered by the Turkish state. In order for the process to develop successfully, it is now up to the state to build trust by taking practical steps. One thing is clear: the Turkish state cannot pursue as before. The escalation of war by Turkey, marked by repression, arrests and assimilation, forced removal of democratically elected mayors, as well as daily bombardment in North East Syria and South Kurdistan (North Iraq) does not match with talks about negotiations and solutions. It is impossible to believe any speeches unless an honest intention for a solution is shown by practical steps. Therefore, the biggest responsibility to follow words with deeds lies in the hands of the state. Nevertheless, to strengthen this process and pave the way towards a free Middle East, all forces both inside and outside Turkey, led by the free press, intellectuals, and peace activists, in shortly all democratic forces that are interested in a peaceful solution are called to support Öcalan’s call. Creating peace is a collective process that is why the responsibility to become active lies on all of us.
