Buldan: Öcalan will be on the disarmament and politicization committee.

20.08.2026 10:52

Pervin Buldan, a member of the DEM Party's Imrali Delegation and Van Deputy, stated that the committee established by the framework law will hold its first meeting on August 24, and that the process for forming sub-committees will begin at this meeting. She said, 'One of these sub-committees will be the disarmament and politicization committee, and Mr. Öcalan will take part in it. Because Mr. Öcalan will also organize the arrivals.'

DEM Party Imrali delegation members Pervin Buldan and Faik Ozgur Erol, along with Veysi Aktas, who spent a long time imprisoned with PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan on Imrali, evaluated the current stage of the solution process and the new situation created by the "framework law" with media representatives at a hotel in Taksim.

"AN IMPORTANT THRESHOLD FOR US"

Stating that they have reached a certain threshold in the process ongoing since December 2024, Erol said, "This is an important threshold for us. I have been explaining for a very long time that this law would be a cornerstone. The last few months were spent on an unnecessary debate. Would it be confirmation first, then the law, or disarmament first? It had turned into a chicken-and-egg debate. Fortunately, this was overcome. It was already known that the law could formulate this within itself, and with such a formulation, the law came into being."

Noting that they also have criticisms regarding the content and procedure of the law, Erol stated that they have expressed this frequently both during its realization and afterward. Erol said, "We would, of course, have wished for it to be much more comprehensive, to define both Turkey's democratization and the resolution of the Kurdish issue, to point out the causes and consequences that constitute its content, and to have a substance in both its justification and its text. We would also have desired it to have a nature based on reciprocity. However, given the current reality of the country and certain characteristics inherent in the process itself, this is where we have arrived. The content of the law turned out roughly like this. But we should not in any way conceal or make invisible some of the situations this law will create."

APPROXIMATELY 4 THOUSAND DETAINEES WILL BE RELEASED

Stating that approximately 4 thousand detainees could be released with the "framework law," Erol noted that over 75 thousand investigation and prosecution files would also be affected by the law.

"THE LAW PROVIDES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CONDITIONS TO EMERGE WHERE OCALAN CAN MANAGE THE PROCESS BETTER"

Erol said, "75 thousand political files mean, considering the numerical volume of files in Turkey, this law has the quality of touching the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. But it is not just limited to this. There is the issue of the committees contained within the law itself. These committees also provide the opportunity for conditions to emerge where Mr. Ocalan on Imrali can manage the process better and develop it better. At the same time, with many regulations in the content of the law, it carries the possibility of reaching a potential that could encompass everyone affected by this problem as a whole in the coming period."

"WE WILL LEAN ON THAT DOOR"

Erol, who also evaluates the law as the cracking open of a door, continued as follows:

"We will lean on that door. We will be persistent in leaning on that door and in ensuring it opens into a field of law and democracy. And the door that will open requires the practical implementation process of the law to progress in parallel with reforms both for the resolution of the Kurdish issue and for democratization. Essentially, our political foresight and our political agenda are built on this.

"WE KNOW THIS WILL NOT BE AN EASY PROCESS"

We can also express this as the turning of the democracy wheel. For us, this is the real important quality of the opened door. Along with this, we are seeking and striving to enter a new process. We claim to develop its political struggle. We know this will not be an easy process. But at this point, at least with the democratic dynamics that have emerged so far, I believe that we have the potential to achieve this together with the democratic dynamics of this country."

BULDAN: WE WERE ABLE TO SEE THE DRAFT ON THE MORNING OF THE DAY THE LAW WAS TO PASS

Buldan, stating that they worked very hard for the law, said, "From the beginning, we always wanted to see the law and take it to Mr. Ocalan, but this did not happen. In our last meeting with Mr. Ocalan, we expressed our views on how to approach the law in principle, not with the draft, and we received his opinions and suggestions. But with the government, with AKP's legal advisors, our friends came together one day before the law was to pass, and we were able to see the draft on the morning of the next day, that is, the day the law was to pass."

SHE EXPLAINED OCALAN'S VIEW ON THE LAW

Buldan described Ocalan's view on the law with these words:

"In our last meeting, regarding how he approaches the law, he always said this: 'I don't get hung up on concepts. What matters to us is that this law passes. Let's set concepts aside. Of course, we will fight for this. This law is a first, it is a key law, it is a root law. It is even a shell. This law is a shell regarding the Kurdish issue. We will, of course, discuss in later periods and processes how we will develop this shell or this root law and how we will fight for it. But I exerted great effort to bring it to this stage and I played a one-man chess game,' he said. This phrase belongs entirely to him. In this one-man chess game, there were, of course, times when he struggled; we know this, but he always looked at the positive side of the matter. He tried to weave a period of time where armed struggle had ended and a political struggle would come into play. He tried to realize this."

"THIS PERIOD IS MUCH MORE HOPEFUL AND NOW CLOSER TO PEACE"

Buldan, comparing the previous processes with the current one, said, "When we compare that period with this one, I have always said that this period is much more hopeful and now closer to peace. Because in the 2013-2015 period, there was not an environment where everyone politically viewed this issue positively. For example; the statements, remarks, and stance against the process of MHP leader Mr. Bahceli may have contributed to the ending of the process, but in this period, I think we need to view Mr. Bahceli's efforts and contributions on this matter with appreciation. I want to state that he has put in a lot of effort in this regard, and I also want to note that he has always looked at the process from a positive perspective."

"OCALAN WILL TAKE PART IN THE DISARMAMENT AND POLITICIZATION SUB-COMMITTEE"

Drawing attention to the need for the formation of certain committees with the enacted law, Buldan said that Abdullah Ocalan would also take part in the committees. Announcing that an upper committee would be established on August 24 and would hold its first meeting, Buldan said, "Immediately after the first meeting of the upper committee, a process will begin for the establishment of sub-committees. One of these sub-committees will be the disarmament and politicization committee, and Mr. Ocalan will take part in it."

Buldan, who stated that he conveyed his views on the urgent implementation of the Constitutional Court and ECHR decisions to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, noted that they believe the release of detainees such as Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ will take place depending on the progress of the verification and identification process.

Reminding that the DEM Party Congress will be held on September 6, Buldan said, "This is not the main congress. We estimate the main congress will probably take place before Nevruz. The exact date is not clear, but the congress on September 6 is a formality congress to be held due to legal obligation. After that, a new preparation will be made. In this preparation, Mr. Öcalan mentions a new party. Both a new statute, program, and cadre change. There will be a new structuring, a new movement that includes all of these. This new movement will start its work after the congress on September 6."

AKTAŞ: AN IMPORTANT THRESHOLD WAS CROSSED FOR THE SOLUTION OF THE KURDISH ISSUE

Following Buldan, Veysi Aktaş, who spent many years in prison with Öcalan and was listed as part of the "İmralı Secretariat" at the press invitation, took the floor. Aktaş described how the process developed with these words:

"Last year, this commission should have been formed regarding the issue of burning weapons. But the formation of that commission was delayed. The 'framework law' currently being discussed should actually have been passed in October. In other words, there was a threshold that could not be crossed. For this reason, the main fundamental problem could not be addressed, and no progress could be made. But after it passed through parliament on August 10, an important threshold was crossed for the solution of the Kurdish issue. A new legal ground was established.

"FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE POLITICAL WILL HAS ACCEPTED ÖCALAN'S STATUS"

In my opinion, this is one of the most historic moments of Turkey. The statement by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz regarding Mr. Öcalan's status was also a very valuable statement. For the first time, the political will has accepted Mr. Öcalan's status. Because this threshold could not be crossed, the transition from dialogue to the negotiation stage could not be achieved. After this stage, it is now the negotiation stage.

This process has three stages. The first step was the process referred to as the 'framework law' or root law. This was crossed; now the democratization process has begun. Negotiations for the democratization of the republic will be developed. This may also take a considerable amount of time. After this process, in a sense, our democratic society organization, the democratization of the republic, the integration of democratic society into the democratic republic, will result in the process shaping a new social contract with a new constitution. It is a process consisting of these three stages. "

Stating that the process should not be completely closed to the public, Aktaş emphasized that both peace and the process need to be socialized, and that lasting peace can only be achieved this way.