Ocalan declares the end of armed struggle and calls on the Turkish parliament to oversee the disarmament of the PKK

In a video message broadcast by the Firat News Agency on Wednesday, July 9th, Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan called for the "end of armed action against Turkey", confirming that the Kurdistan Workers' Party will soon begin the process of relinquishing its weapons. Ocalan also urged the Turkish parliament to form a "committee to oversee disarmament and manage the peace process".

The message, recorded in June and released by the party-affiliated agency, emphasized the "complete transition to democratic policies", considering that "establishing a political framework is crucial for the success of negotiations between the party and Turkey".

This statement comes months after the party announced its dissolution in May, in response to Ocalan's call launched in February and described as "historic", where he urged "all armed groups to lay down their arms and dissolve the party". This call was supported by MPs of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which supports the Kurds, who visited Ocalan in his prison on Imrali Island, where he has been serving a prison sentence since 1999.

Ocalan founded the Kurdistan Workers' Party in 1978 in Turkey before moving to Syria in 1980 during the era of the late President Hafez al-Assad. In 1984, the party, classified as "terrorist" by Turkey and international organizations, began its military operations in Turkey and Iran in an attempt to establish an independent Kurdish entity.

Ocalan remained in hiding in Syria until 1998 when Turkey threatened to invade Syrian territories if it did not stop supporting him, leading to his departure. After unsuccessful attempts to obtain political asylum in Europe, he was arrested on February 15, 1999, in Nairobi by Turkish intelligence, then transferred to Turkey and sentenced to life imprisonment.