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Senior figures within the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) are reportedly open to allowing jailed PKK ringleader Abdullah Ocalan to hold meetings with different segments of society, including journalists and academics.
According to a report by Yucel Kayaoglu in Türkiye daily, AK Party officials argue that instead of granting Ocalan a legal status, conditions at Imrali prison should be eased, and they are favorable toward opening the way for Ocalan to meet with various groups in society, such as journalists and academics.
According to the report, the legal steps and other administrative arrangements required for a “terror-free Türkiye,” as well as the timing and Ocalan’s “status,” have become intertwined.
The AK Party reportedly wants the organization to disarm first, while the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and the PKK expect legal regulations to be introduced first.
Citing AK Party sources, the report said a legal framework for the process needs to be determined and that this depends on the steps the organization takes.
“But right now, there is no concrete development; on the contrary, they are increasing their fortifications. They are not emptying weapons depots or caves. The DEM Party never brings this up,” the sources said.
“There are some groups within the organization resisting disarmament. They are the ones causing the real problems. They are also prolonging the process. Weapons have been reinforced in some caves. Training is continuing. While all this is happening, why should we pass a law? We will not make laws based on possibilities before disarmament takes place,” they added.
The AK Party is also reportedly opposed to proposals raised by the DEM Party and supported by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli to grant legal status to PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.
The party leadership reportedly believes it would not be possible to grant legal status to someone sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment and that no such privilege can be recognized in this regard.
Bahceli recently proposed establishing a “peace process coordinatorship” to define a status for Ocalan.
Speaking during his party’s parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday, Bahceli said the issue of Ocalan’s status could not be ignored if the process was to function properly.
“As we have stated before, the issue of Abdullah Ocalan's status is important to us. The process can't work in a healthy manner by acting as though this issue does not exist,” Bahceli said.
The MHP is the junior coalition partner in Türkiye’s ruling government alongside President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party.
Bahceli has taken an increasingly active role in shaping public discourse surrounding the PKK disarmament process, which began following calls from Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on Imrali Island since 1999.
It was Bahceli who first called on Ocalan in October 2024 to dissolve the PKK.
Ocalan later issued a formal call for the group’s disarmament and dissolution in February 2025.
The PKK subsequently held a symbolic disarmament ceremony and announced the end of its armed activities in Türkiye.
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