Abdullah Öcalan, Imprisoned in Turkey, Delivers Historic Message
The leader of the Kurdish liberation movement, Abdullah Öcalan, who has been imprisoned in Turkey for many years, has delivered a historic message. It was previously agreed that the figure would speak via a video message; however, Turkish authorities prohibited it.
A delegation from Turkey's pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) arrived in Istanbul after a meeting with Abdullah Öcalan on Imralı island prison and presented his message. Öcalan stated, "All groups must disarm, and the PKK must be dissolved. I call for the laying down of arms and take historic responsibility for that call."
According to the Kurdish leader, the practice of identity denial has disappeared in Turkey, and advancements in freedom of expression have led to the loss of meaning and redundancy of the PKK. "As a result, like other similar movements, it has reached the end of its life span, which makes its dissolution necessary," Öcalan stated, calling to reconstruct Kurdish-Turkish unity and brotherhood.