PKK movement heeded leader's call and declared a ceasefire

(Patria) - The Executive Committee issued a statement after Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan called for the disarmament of the PKK movement.

His order was accepted by the executive committee, and in its emergency address, it was stated that the organization agrees with the content of the leader's call and declared that they will adhere to and implement the demands of this call.

"We adhere to Öcalan's call and declare a ceasefire. We will comply with Öcalan's call; issues such as disarmament can only be implemented in practice under Öcalan's practical leadership," they stated.

The statement from the PKK executive committee listed the following points:

- As the PKK, we agree with the content of the call as it is and declare that we will adhere to and implement the demands of the call on our part. We declare a ceasefire effective as of today.

- We agree with the content of the call as it is and declare that we will respect and implement the demands of the call on our part. However, we wish to emphasize that for success, democratic politics and legal foundations must be applied. To pave the way for the implementation of the Call for Peace and Democratic Society, we declare a ceasefire as of today.

In his earlier call, Öcalan emphasized that the PKK had lost its reason for existence due to internal factors, the collapse of real socialism in the 1990s, changes in identity politics in Turkey, and progress in freedom of expression. Because of this, he stated that he believes the time has come for the dissolution of the organization.

Öcalan, who is 75 years old, has been imprisoned on Imrali Island since 1999 after being convicted of treason. Despite years of isolation, he still wields strong influence over the PKK.