Istanbul- The Imrali delegation, consisting of Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) MPs Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan, DEM Party co-chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan, Ahmet Türk, DEM Party Istanbul MP Cengiz Çiçek and lawyer Faik Özgür Erol from Asrin Law Office, held the third meeting with Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan in the prison island of Imrali on Thursday morning.  Ömer Hayri Konar, Hamili Yıldırım and Veysi Aktaş, who have been imprisoned in the prison of Imrali, also attended the meeting.

After the meeting, the Imralı Delegation held a press conference in Istanbul at 5 PM to convey a historic call from Abdullah Öcalan.

Abdullah Öcalan’s “Call for Peace and Democratic Society” was read by Ahmet Türk in Kurdish and by Pervin Buldan in Turkish.

Abdullah Öcalan’s “Call for Peace and Democratic Society” is as follows:

“Call for Peace and Democratic Society

The PKK was born in the 20th century, in the most violent century of the history of humanity, amidst the two world wars, real socialism and the cold war environments experienced around the world, the denial of Kurdish reality, restrictions on basic rights and freedoms, especially freedom of expression.

In theory, program, strategy and tactics, it has been heavily influenced by the reality of the real-socialist system of the century.

The PKK has been under the heavy realities of the century and the system of real socialism in terms of its adopted theory, program, strategy and tactics. The collapse of real-socialism in the 1990s due to internal reasons and the dissolution of the denial of identity in the country, as well as the developments in freedom of expression led to the weakening of the PKK´s foundational meaningfulness and resulted in excessive repetition. Therefore, it has completed its life like its counterparts and made its dissolution necessary.

Kurdish-Turkish relations; Throughout the history of more than 1000 years,  Turks and Kurds have found it essential to remain in an alliance, on a volunteer basis, to maintain their existence and survive against hegemonic powers.

The last 200 years of capitalist modernity have aimed primarily to break up this alliance. The affected forces, together with their class-based interests, have played a key role in furthering this objective. With monist interpretations of the Republic, this process has accelerated. Today, the main task is to restructure the historical relationship, which has become extremely fragile, without excluding consideration for beliefs with the spirit of fraternity.

The need for a democratic society is inevitable. The PKK, the longest and most extensive insurgency and armed movement in the history of the Republic, found social base and support, and was primarily inspired by the fact that the channels of democratic politics were closed.

The inevitable outcome of the extreme nationalist tendencies – whether in the form of a separate nation-state, federation, administrative autonomy, or culturalist solutions - fails to address the historical sociology of the society.

Genuine respect for identities, their free expression and democratic organization, along with the socio-economic and political structures on which each segment relies, can only be realized within a truly democratic society and political framework.

The second century of the Republic will only have a permanent and fraternal continuity when it is crowned with democracy. There is no way except democracy for pursuit and realization of the system. Democratic consensus is the fundamental way.

The language of the process of peace and democratic society needs to be developed in accordance with this reality.

In the climate shaped by Mr. Devlet Bahceli’s call, the will demonstrated by Mr. President, and the positive responses from the other political parties to the well-known call, I call for the laying down ıf arms and take on the historical responsibility for this call.

As any contemporary society or party that has not been forcibly dismantled would do, convene your congress and decide on integration with the state and society. All groups should lay down their arms, and the PKK should dissolve itself. 

I convey my greetings to all those who believe in co-existence and hear my call.

February 25, 2025

Abdullah Öcalan”