2026-09-17T20:41:59+00:00
Shafaq News- Ankara (Updated on Sept. 18 at 08:53)
Imprisoned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan will be assigned a role in a subcommittee overseeing disarmament and strategic coordination, senior presidential adviser Mehmet Uçum said on Thursday.
Speaking to Turkish journalists, the adviser said Ocalan will join the sub-committee dealing with disarmament, clarifying that this does not mean his release from prison.
Private broadcaster NTV quoted the adviser as saying the arrangement is meant to let Ocalan take a more direct part in shaping the process. “This is a dialogue process being carried out with Ocalan,” he added, noting that “the goal is difficult: ensuring the dissolution of the armed group.”
The Turkish parliament passed a law in August granting limited amnesty to PKK fighters, marking the first legislative step in the process to end the conflict.
Four sub-committees were formed to oversee the practical steps of the PKK’s dissolution, following Ocalan’s call for the group to disband. One of them focuses on disarmament.
The law does not provide for Ocalan’s release.
Ocalan, 77, has been imprisoned on Imrali Island since 1999. From prison, he has played a central role in the current process, calling on the PKK on February 27, 2025, to lay down its arms and dissolve. The group announced its dissolution the following May.
Read more:The Kurdish rebellion dissolves: Turkiye’s century-old equation evolves
Source: Shafaq News
