The imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has waged a guerrilla war for many years and is recognized as a terrorist organization by several countries, has called on the Kurds for democratic organization.      

The imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, has called on his associates to disarm. In a message sent from İmrali Prison, where he is currently held, he stated that the PKK should dissolve itself and integrate with the state and society.

In his appeal, Ocalan referred to the reasons behind the PKK’s formation, the transformations it has undergone, and the process initiated by the call of MHP leader Devlet Bahceli.

Devlet Bahceli, in a proposal made last October, stated that if armed groups cease their activities, Ocalan should be released. This proposal was also supported by the ruling AKP party.

Ocalan began his historic call by describing the conditions under which he founded the PKK and how the organization was “strongly influenced by the realities of the real socialist system.”

He then spoke about the internal developments within the PKK in the 1990s, the collapse of real socialism, the elimination of identity denial in Turkey, and the progress of freedom of speech.

“Thus, like its counterparts, the organization has reached the end of its existence, and its dissolution has become necessary,” Ocalan emphasized.

Highlighting the importance of a democratic society, Ocalan stated that in the modern era, Kurds should organize themselves democratically.

For this reason, he called for laying down arms and assumed “this historical responsibility.”

The Guardian writes that Ocalan’s message will have widespread effects not only in Syria, where Kurdish forces control significant territories, but also in Iran, Iraq, and the broader Middle East. His statement has also pleased his supporters.

Sirri Sureyya Onder from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) said, “This is a turning point in history and a positive development. We are standing with a compass, trying to find a way out of these dark, chaotic days.”

The PKK, which engages in guerrilla warfare, has been responsible for car bombings and shootings targeting the Turkish military and security forces. The group claimed responsibility for an attack on a state-owned arms company near Ankara last October, which resulted in five deaths and 22 injuries.

Following the collapse of a ceasefire between the PKK and Turkey in 2015, Ankara resumed attacks on the group using drones and airstrikes, targeting fighters along the mountains in northern Iraq.

According to calculations by the International Crisis Group, since then, more than 7,152 people have been killed in clashes or attacks in northern Turkey and Iraq, including 646 civilians, over 4,000 militants, and approximately 1,500 members of Turkish security forces.

Ocalan’s message will also impact Kurdish armed groups affiliated with the PKK, especially the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria and northern Iraq, who have fought against ISIS militants.

The group has been negotiating with the new government in Damascus about control over northeastern Syria following the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad, as well as their future role in the national military forces.

How the various factions within the PKK will respond to Ocalan's call remains uncertain. The leader of the PKK's Syrian branch told “Al Arabiya” that the disarmament decision should be accompanied by allowing the group to "engage in political activities."

Currently 75 years old, Ocalan was sentenced to death after being arrested in Kenya in 1999, but this sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. The PKK, which he founded in 1978, is recognized as a terrorist organization in Turkey, as well as in the UK and the US.