DEM Party's İmralı talks set to resume this week

ANKARA

A delegation from the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) is expected to travel to the İmralı prison island off Istanbul this week to meet with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan once again as part of the government’s "terror-free Türkiye" initiative.

Senior DEM Party member Sezai Temelli confirmed the reports at a press conference in parliament on Aug. 25.

"There is a high probability that our delegation will travel to İmralı this week... but the date has not yet been determined," he said.

"We haven’t been able to visit the island for about a month. All developments during the past month will be reported. Öcalan’s assessments will be received."

The DEM Party delegation last visited İmralı on July 25. The pro-Kurdish party has been acting as a mediator between Öcalan and Ankara in the government’s anti-terrorism bid. In this context, PKK first declared a ceasefire and later announced plans to dissolve and disarm.

A parliamentary commission was established to oversee the process and address legal aspects. This week’s visit will mark the delegation’s first trip to İmralı since the formation of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission.

The delegation is expected to brief Öcalan on the commission’s work, while Öcalan is anticipated to deliver messages to the public regarding PKK's disarmament process.

The process became possible last October when Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, publicly called on Öcalan to renounce terrorism in parliament.

In December 2024, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced that the DEM Party’s request to meet with Öcalan had been approved after four and a half years, leading to a series of delegation visits to the island.