Justice minister rules out possible release of PKK leader

ANKARA

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç has said that there is no legal basis to grant PKK’s jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan, any right for release, putting an end to debates on his possible release.

"The issue we are currently focused on is the dissolution of terrorism and the process on PKK’s arm disarmament. This call does not involve any conditions, any form of conditional release or a legal entitlement," Tunç told a group of journalists.

His remarks came in response to discussions surrounding Öcalan’s potential release under the "right to hope," following his late-February call for PKK to disarm and dissolve itself.

The “right to hope” is a regulation concerning the situation of prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment who cannot benefit from the possibility of conditional release.

Öcalan, who is serving a life sentence on İmralı Island off Istanbul, was captured by Turkish security forces in Kenya 25 years ago after years on the run. He was originally sentenced to death, but following Türkiye’s abolition of capital punishment in 2004, he has been held on the island.

Another senior figure within the PKK terrorist organization had previously argued that the group’s congress must be convened under Öcalan’s leadership and that the decision to disarm should be made under his direct supervision in this gathering.

"A convicted prisoner like Öcalan cannot be released and oversee a congress," Tunç said.

He also emphasized that counterterrorism operations would continue if PKK refuses to lay down arms.

"There are no conditions attached to İmralı’s call. If the disarmament condition is not fulfilled, the fight against terrorism will persist. There is no scenario in which the state ceases its counterterrorism efforts."

Regarding recent discussion that Öcalan might issue another message during Nevruz — an event celebrated in mid-to-late March as the first day of spring in Kurdish, Iranian and Eurasian traditions with vibrant festivities — Tunç dismissed the possibility of him delivering a video statement.

"Our penal enforcement legislation clearly outlines how convicted prisoners can communicate with their relatives and the outside world. They can send letters and make phone calls. These are permitted within the legal framework. However, it is not possible for him to make contact through a live video broadcast," he stated.