Abdullah Öcalan’s New Video Message
In a video message broadcast from İmralı Prison in Turkey, imprisoned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan announced that the organization has abandoned its goal of establishing an independent national state and described its armed struggle strategy as terminated.
Öcalan emphasized in his message:
“We believe in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons. This transformation is not a defeat but a historic achievement.”
Öcalan revealed the drafting of a new document titled “Manifesto for a Democratic Society” and stated that it would replace the PKK’s previous 50-year programs. He added that the manifesto’s content is not limited to Kurdish society alone but also holds significance for regional and global transformations.
He called for the establishment of a comprehensive commission in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) to oversee the peace process. He stated that the PKK is ready to surrender its weapons within an agreed-upon framework and under the supervision of legal institutions.
In this context, he urged the Peoples’ Democratic Party (DEM) and other political parties to cooperate in this process.
This declaration comes at a time when Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), recently spoke of a “Turkey free from terror” policy. The Turkish government has classified the PKK as a terrorist organization since the 1990s and has consistently rejected direct negotiations with it.
In another part of his message, Öcalan stressed that his personal freedom should not be seen as a precondition for progress in the peace process. Citing his philosophical perspective, he stated:
“Individual freedom cannot be separated from the freedom of society. A society is free to the extent that the individual is free, and vice versa.”
He also called on all relevant parties, including state institutions and civil society, to submit their opinions and proposals on practical mechanisms for implementing this transformation. The message did not directly reference the PKK’s recent congress but emphasized the need to implement “historic decisions” made in recent months.
