Turkey moves Ocalan within island prison amid peace efforts

Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, has been moved to a newly built section within Imrali Island prison, DEM Party lawmaker Mithat Sancar said in a Medya Haber TV interview on Saturday. Ocalan has been held on Imrali since 1999. Sancar said the relocation necessitates an acceleration of the peace process, which he said has been paused for about two months. He said Ocalan must coordinate next steps. "The process cannot proceed with unilateral expectations and demands," Sancar said, adding that the government needs to move away from its insistent and rigid stance. A new phase began in October 2024 after Devlet Bahceli proposed that Ocalan address parliament and announce PKK dissolution. Ocalan called for the PKK to disband and disarm in February 2025; the group said in May 2025 it would lay down arms. DEM Party delegations visited Imrali in 2025 and 2026; PKK fighters symbolically burned weapons. Parliament passed a framework law on disarmament in summer 2026 and conditional pardon legislation in August 2026, signed by President Erdogan. The body to work with Ocalan is called the Peace and Politicization Commission. Sozdar Avesta said the peace process has neither collapsed nor advanced. Ocalan’s brother said the family was not officially notified. It remains unclear whether the new accommodation improves conditions. The conflict since 1984 has killed tens of thousands.