The Turkish government has reportedly transferred the jailed founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to a newly constructed section of the high-security island prison where he has remained detained for nearly 27 years. Pro-Kurdish legislators confirmed the development while simultaneously urging Ankara to invigorate a stalled peace process.

Mithat Sancar, a member of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) delegation that frequently visits Ocalan, officially confirmed the relocation during an interview with Medya Haber TV. He asserted that the transfer supposedly necessitates an immediate acceleration of peace negotiations, which he claimed had been suspended for two months, adding that the initiative cannot rely solely on unilateral expectations.

Fellow DEM politician Pervin Buldan noted that Ocalan himself had communicated the transfer, though she sought to downplay its practical significance. According to international reports, she emphasized that the new facility remains strictly within the prison boundaries and that the broader question of his legal and political status is far from resolved by a mere change of quarters.

Media outlets operating in the region described the location as a newly built housing unit on Imrali island, interpreting the move as part of potential preparations to grant Ocalan a more prominent role in future political settlements. Securing better detention conditions for the long-imprisoned leader has consistently served as a primary demand for Kurdish political factions amid a decades-long conflict.

Source: www.aljazeera.com