25.08.2026 17:50
Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the PKK terrorist organization, denied the claim that he sent a message to Özgür Özel, the Chairman of the New Party, saying, "The path to democracy passes through İmralı, not Silivri." Öcalan stated, "This is a conspiracy against me. These shares are provocative actions developed by those opposed to the process." Özel had also said regarding the claim, "I see the path to democracy as passing through the Turkish Grand National Assembly, not through prisons. They did not mention anything like this to me."
Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the terrorist organization PKK, sent a written message to the DEM Party's İmralı Delegation regarding the first meeting of the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee established under the "Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration," as well as the "unfounded claims and accusations" circulating on social media over the past few days.
ÖCALAN'S STATEMENT ON THE PROCESS"
Speaking on the controversies fueled by the claim that he sent a message to Özgür Özel saying, "The path to democracy passes through Silivri and İmralı," Öcalan denied the allegation.
According to information provided by the DEM Party, Öcalan's written message titled "Announcement to the Public" is as follows: "The strong political will demonstrated by H.E. the President and H.E. Devlet Bahçeli, the declaration of ending the armed struggle made upon my call, and ultimately the committee established under the 'Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration,' which was enacted with the historic support of political parties, holding its first meeting yesterday, are clear indicators that the process is progressing steadily. A critical stage has been reached in the process.
"DOCUMENTS, STATEMENTS, AND MINUTES ATTRIBUTED TO ME ARE UNTRUE"
During this historic period, the attempts of some circles trying to derail the process constitute a conspiracy against me. The statements, meetings, names, documents, minutes, and references reflected in the press and social media and attributed to me are untrue. These shares are provocative acts developed by opponents of the process.
It is natural that I will further develop my efforts to build social peace and the law of brotherhood. I invite everyone and every segment to act with common sense and conscious effort in line with the spirit of brotherhood."
ÖZEL: NEITHER THE DELEGATION NOR THE GOVERNMENT INFORMED US
Özgür Özel had spoken regarding the claims that Öcalan sent him greetings and outlined a roadmap. Stating that no information was provided to them from either the İmralı delegation or the government side, Özel said, "The DEM Party's İmralı delegation used to visit parties before; this time, after the August 1 meeting, they visited a few parties. They did not request an appointment from us and did not mention anything like that to me. Therefore, I did not take the matter on my radar."
"IF WE ARE TO BE A DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC..."
Emphasizing that the struggle for democracy cannot be based in prisons, Özel clarified his stance against the message from İmralı with these words: "In general, I do not derive the path to democracy from prisons or cities, but from the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Not from this prison or from there; if we are to be a democratic republic, it passes through the Turkish Grand National Assembly and the ballot box."