Turkish authorities have transferred the country’s jailed Kurdish militant leader to a newly constructed section of an island prison. A senior Kurdish official confirmed the move on Saturday as part of broader initiatives to resolve a decades-long conflict.
Abdullah Ocalan leads the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. He has served a sentence on Imrali Island in the Marmara Sea since his capture in 1999.
Mithat Sancar, a lawmaker for the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, announced the transfer in an interview with Medya Haber TV. He did not provide operational details about the move.
Sancar stopped short of confirming that the new facility offers superior living quarters, but his comments suggested improved conditions. Better prison treatment for Ocalan has long been a primary Kurdish demand during negotiations.
Sancar urged authorities to expedite the peace initiative on Saturday, stating that the reconciliation framework had paused over the preceding two months.
The relocation to the updated facility necessitates an acceleration of the peace process, Sancar told the broadcaster. He is among several DEM Party politicians who visit Ocalan regularly.
Ocalan co-founded the PKK in the 1970s and is an influential figure among Kurds. Observers see his involvement as essential for advancing any political settlement.
In February 2025, Ocalan urged the PKK to disband and disarm. The militant group announced it would lay down its weapons and end hostilities three months later.
The Turkish parliament approved legislation in August offering a conditional pardon to thousands of PKK fighters. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the bill into law shortly afterward.
The conflict between the PKK and Turkish authorities has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1984. Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union designate the group as a terrorist organisation.
Sancar said Ocalan must coordinate future peace negotiations. The process cannot proceed with unilateral expectations and demands, he added, and the Turkish government needs to move away from its rigid stance.
