Turkey’s Erdogan Ally Calls for PKK Leader’s Release in Exchange for Group Dissolution

In a move that could significantly impact Turkey’s ongoing Kurdish conflict and the country’s political landscape, a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for the release of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in exchange for the group’s dissolution, Bloomberg reports.

Devlet Bahceli, leader of the hardline Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), suggested that Ocalan’s freedom could be granted if he publicly declares the end of the PKK’s decades-long fight for Kurdish autonomy in southeastern Turkey.

“Let him declare that terror is over and that his organization is abolished,” Bahceli said of Ocalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999.

The call comes as Erdogan seeks to revise the Turkish constitution, which currently prevents him from running for president after 2028. One potential avenue for this would be through a referendum, which requires support from an opposition party, such as the pro-Kurdish Democratic Party (DEM).

Bahceli’s influence over Erdogan is significant, as their parties form an informal coalition. He has historically played a kingmaker role in Turkish elections. This proposal, however, is particularly noteworthy, given the nationalist leader’s historically hardline stance on the Kurdish conflict, which has claimed over 40,000 lives.

Ocalan was captured in Kenya and initially sentenced to death. The sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment after Turkey abolished capital punishment to meet European Union accession requirements. Both the US and EU categorize the PKK as a terrorist organization.

Turkey has intensified its crackdown on the pro-Kurdish movement since peace talks stalled nearly a decade ago. Thousands of individuals, including prominent politician Selahattin Demirtas, have been imprisoned for alleged ties to the PKK.