A senior commander of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has stated that the group will not take further steps in the PKK peace process unless Turkey acts by releasing its imprisoned founder, Abdullah Ocalan, and recognizing the rights of the Kurdish people.

Speaking from a bunker in the Qandil mountains in northern Iraq, commander Amed Malazgirt told AFP that the responsibility for progress now lies with Ankara.

“All the steps the leader Apo has initiated have been implemented... There will be no further actions taken,” Malazgirt said. “From now on, we will be waiting for the Turkish state, and they have to be the one taking steps.”

PKK leadership urges key conditions for peace talks

The group outlined two central conditions for continuing the PKK-Turkey negotiations.

“First, the freedom of leader Apo (Ocalan)... without this, the process will not succeed. The second is the constitutional and official recognition of the Kurdish people in Turkey,” Malazgirt said.

Abdullah Ocalan, 76, remains in solitary confinement on Imrali island, where he has been held since 1999. Despite his imprisonment, he has played a central role in guiding the peace initiative.

Timeline to peace 

In recent months, the PKK has taken notable steps to distance itself from its decades-long armed conflict with Turkey, which has resulted in some 50,000 deaths.

In May, the group held a ceremony in northern Iraq where 30 fighters burned their weapons, symbolizing the formal end of armed struggle.

Last month, the PKK announced that all its forces had been withdrawn from Turkish soil, and earlier this month, it confirmed a pullback from key border areas in northern Iraq. “We have committed to not using weapons against the Turkish state,” Malazgirt emphasized.

Moreover, inside the group's mountain base, senior figures reiterated their commitment to a democratic transition.

“The Turkish state has made a positive move by establishing a parliamentary committee,” Malazgirt said, referring to the cross-party body set up to prepare the political groundwork for the peace process.

“But it is not the only action needed. We are closely monitoring this mission,” he added.

Female leadership highlights struggle for freedom

Female commander Serda Mazlum Gabar also stressed the importance of Abdullah Ocalan's release. “As long as the leadership is inside, the Kurdish people cannot be free. Nor can we, as guerrillas, feel free,” she said.

“We want the leadership to meet with the people… Our path to freedom passes through the freedom of our leadership.”

Gabar also reflected on the future of the movement: “The guerrilla is also the prototype of free life, the prototype of free humans, the prototype of free women. Therefore, we can continue the struggle with different methods, but the guerrilla does not end.”

Ocalan's liberation core issue

Ankara began indirect talks with the PKK late last year. In February, Ocalan urged the group to lay down arms and engage in democratic means to pursue Kurdish rights in Turkey.

The Imrali island prison remains at the heart of the political dispute, as Ocalan’s continued isolation remains a symbolic and strategic barrier to reconciliation.

Öcalan himself addressed the issue of his freedom and reiterated that he never viewed it as a private matter, but rather as intrinsically linked to the freedom of society. He affirmed his commitment to this principle and welcomed all forms of criticism, proposals, and contributions to help shape the new phase.

“I am optimistic and excited,” he said, “because these discussions will elevate all of us, the forces of democratic modernity, to a new phase in theory, strategy, and regional and global tactics.”

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