Abdullah Ocalan says peace, democracy are 'strategy, historic step'
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From Amrali Prison, Kurdistan Workers' Party leader Abdullah Ocalan marked World Peace Day with a letter urging peace, democracy, and social justice as the foundation for a new era in Turkey and the Middle East.
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In this file photo dated Wednesday, March 21, 2018, a youth holds a flag with the image of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in Istanbul, Turkey. (AP)
The leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, marked World Peace Day with a letter from Amrali Prison in Turkey, addressing “all those who strive for peace and democracy.”
Ocalan emphasized that the call for peace and a democratic solution is not a temporary political stance, but rather “a strategy and a historic step.” He explained that this vision “has opened the doors to a new era of democratic life based on peace, both in Turkey and throughout the Middle East, where it will take its place at the end of wars and destruction.”
Strategy for peace, democratic life
“This is not just a demand, but a clear reality that must be built with strong opportunities and serious practical steps,” Ocalan said, stressing that peace must be pursued as a concrete political and social project.
He underlined that “true peace is not limited to silence about conflicts or ending them, but is embodied when a time of freedom, democracy, and social justice is built in all areas of life.”
Ocalan stressed that the transformation of societies is both a right and a necessity, saying that “the social transformation of our peoples is not only a right, but also the fundamental call of our new era and the future ahead of us.”
He highlighted that peace, democracy, and freedom will remain central to the struggles of the peoples, affirming: “This homeland will remain the homeland of those who see peace and democratic life as their right and their call.”
Freedom, democracy, and social justice
Ocalan framed peace as inseparable from freedom and social justice, arguing that these values must serve as the foundation for building lasting stability across Turkey and the wider Middle East.
For September 1, World Peace Day, Ocalan called for “holding fast to this historic message and better promote the march of peace and freedom,” urging continued commitment to this vision.
“We believe that everyone will understand the importance of this stage and act in the spirit of peace,” he concluded, calling for steadfastness in the pursuit of democracy and coexistence.
PKK declares end to struggle
Ocalan declared an official end to the group’s armed struggle against the Turkish state in July. In a video message, his first since his imprisonment in 1999, Ocalan called for a complete shift toward democratic politics, pledging that the PKK would abandon arms "swiftly."
The PKK began the process of handing in its arms two days after the announcement, starting with the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
The first phase of the #Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) disarmament officially began on Friday with a ceremony in northern Iraq, marking the implementation of the party’s dissolution and the formal launch of a peace process aimed at ending decades of conflict with Turkey.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 11, 2025
The… pic.twitter.com/zmf2xwR1kA
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