Answering Its Leader's Call, PKK Holds 12th Congress

ANHA

OKK Leaders

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) announced on Friday, 9 May 2025, that it has held its 12th  congress this week and made "historic" decisions after a call by its leader to disband.

The Firat news agency (ANF), a news agency close to the PKK, reported a statement by the PKK Presidency, which said: “The PKK’s 12th Congress was successfully held in the Medya Defense Zones between 5 and 7 May. The congress was conducted in two different areas in parallel with delegates representing all branches of the party."

According to the statement, the PKK’s 12th Congress convened upon the call of Leader Abdullah Ocalan. The congress, first of all, greeted Leader Apo (Ocalan's nickname) with longing and respect, and read and evaluated the perspectives and proposals presented by Leader Abdullah Ocalan to the congress. In addition, a brief report of the PKK Central Committee was read and discussed at the congress.

The PKK did not say whether it had decided to disband or disarm in the statement.

Furthermore, the statement said that the Congress called on everyone to work together to achieve the peace and democratic‑society, noting that extensive and detailed information and documents regarding the outcomes and decisions of the 12th PKK Congress will be shared with the public very soon, after the results from the two different areas are combined.

The PKK's congress comes amid ongoing efforts to establish a peace process following more than 40-year conflict with the Turkish state. 

After 10 years, the Turkish state allowed a delegation from the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) to visit the jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in late December last year at the Imrali prison. The delegation known as the Imrali delegation has made several more visits since then.

Ocalan, who has been serving a life sentence since 1999 at the Imrali prison, issued a statement through the Imrali delegation on 27 February 2025 calling for a revival of peace efforts and for the PKK to disband itself. 

More than 40,000 people have been killed in the PKK conflict, which has seen intermittent peace efforts over the years, most notably a ceasefire between 2013 and 2015 that ultimately collapsed.

The Turkish state insists that PKK must lay down arms and disband itself in order to make the peace process a success. The PKK has yet to announce such move.

In his latest statement regarding the PKK, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, 8 May 2025, that PKK will lay down its weapons and disband “either today or tomorrow.”
 
“We have overcome all obstacles. Today or tomorrow, the PKK will lay down its weapons and dissolve the organization. After that, a new process, a new era will begin for all of us,” Erdogan told his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) ministers and lawmakers at the party’s headquarters, as reported by Turkish outlet Haberturk. 



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