Politics

Ocalan Relocated to New Section of Imrali Prison as Peace Talks Urged to Accelerate

By Al Jazeera Staff

Turkish authorities have moved Abdullah Ocalan, the founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), to a newly built section of the Imrali island prison where he has been held for 27 years. Pro‑Kurdish lawmakers said the transfer was confirmed by Mithat Sancar, a member of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) delegation that visits Ocalan, in an interview with Kurdish television channel Medya Haber TV. Sancar said the move “necessitates an acceleration of the (peace) process”, which had been paused for two months, and that the process cannot proceed with unilateral expectations and demands. DEM politician Pervin Buldan added that Ocalan himself had announced the transfer but downplayed its significance, noting that the new facility is part of the prison and not outside it. Erbil‑based broadcaster Kurdistan24 described the facility as a new house built for Ocalan on Imrali island and said the move was part of preparations to give him a more active role in the peace process. Better prison conditions for Ocalan have been a key Kurdish demand. The PKK was founded in 1978 by Ocalan and others, initially fighting for an independent Kurdish state before shifting its demands to autonomy and greater rights for Turkey’s Kurds, who make up an estimated 15 to 20 percent of the population. The group launched an armed campaign against the Turkish state in 1984 and is designated a “terrorist” organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people. Ocalan has been held on Imrali, in the Sea of Marmara, since his capture in 1999. In February last year, Ocalan called on the PKK to disband and disarm and the group announced its dissolution that May. Turkey’s parliament adopted a law offering limited amnesty for PKK fighters in August and the PKK leadership has repeatedly demanded Ocalan’s release as part of the process.