Kurdish leader transferred to new prison section amid peace efforts
Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has been moved to a newly constructed area of an island prison where he has been held since 1999, according to a senior Kurdish official. This relocation is part of ongoing efforts to resolve the decades-long conflict between the PKK and Turkish authorities.
Improving Ocalan’s prison conditions has been a central demand from Kurdish representatives seeking to end the 42-year conflict. Ocalan has been incarcerated on Imrali Island, located in the Marmara Sea, since his capture in 1999.
Mithat Sancar, a lawmaker for the DEM Party, confirmed the transfer during an interview with Medya Haber TV on Saturday. While he did not explicitly state that the new section offers improved accommodations, his comments suggested as much.
Sancar urged a swift progression of the peace process, noting it has been “on a pause” for the past two months. He stated Ocalan’s relocation “necessitates an acceleration of the (peace) process.”
Sancar and other DEM Party politicians have been regularly visiting Ocalan since February 2025, when the militant leader called for the PKK to disband and disarm. Ocalan retains significant influence among Kurds and is considered vital to advancing the peace process.
In March 2025, the PKK announced its intention to lay down arms and cease hostilities. Subsequently, the Turkish parliament approved legislation in August offering a conditional pardon to thousands of PKK fighters, a measure later signed into law by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The conflict with the PKK, which is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, has resulted in tens of thousands of fatalities since 1984.
Sancar emphasized that Ocalan, a co-founder of the PKK in the 1970s, must be involved in coordinating peace negotiations. He cautioned against unilateral expectations and urged the Turkish government to adopt a more flexible approach.
Source
“Turkey moves Kurdish militant leader Ocalan to a new part of an island prison under peace push”
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