Jailed Kurdish rebel in Turkey calls for disarmament
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 28 February 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Jailed Kurdish rebel in Turkey calls for disarmament, 28 February 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5509415ae.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
February 28, 2015
Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is jailed in Turkey, has called on his followers to take a "historic" decision to lay down their arms.
Sirri Sureyya Onder, a lawmaker from parliament's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), read a statement from Ocalan on live TV on February 28 that urged the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to attend a congress on disarmament in the spring.
Onder quoted Ocalan as saying, "I invite the PKK to attend an extraordinary congress in the spring . . . to abandon the armed struggle."
Ocalan's call could help end the 30-year rebellion by Kurdish rebels against Turkish rule.
Onder spoke on TV alongside Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan, who said the move towards disarmament is an important step in resolving the issue.
The Kurdish insurgency in Turkey has killed more than 40,000 people.
Some 15 million Kurds live in Turkey.
Based on reporting by AP and AFP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
