Lead

Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has warned against any delay in taking legal steps to flesh out Turkey’s peace process with the Kurdish movement, saying "we have no time to lose." In a message shared on Monday (May 25, 2026) by a delegation of lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish DEM party who visited him on Imrali prison island, Ocalan said prolonging the process would only "generate risk."

"All these efforts must be grounded in a legal framework," he said, urging all actors involved to act with "responsibility." "Remaining in a state of expectation, or prolonging that state, only generates risk."

The call comes just two weeks after Turkey's parliament made recommendations on how to advance the peace process with Kurdish militants — recommendations that have yet to be translated into legislation. According to a report by Reuters, the Iran war broke out in early May, plunging the Middle East into fresh instability and bringing new doubts on both sides of the conflict.

Coverage Comparison

The two outlets whose reporting was examined approach the story from different angles. The Jerusalem Post, citing Reuters, frames the peace process as stalled by the fallout of the Iran war and the government's reluctance to enact legislative reforms. The Hindu — World focuses on Ocalan's direct warning against delay and places it in the context of a crackdown on the opposition CHP party, quoting Ocalan's criticism of recent police actions at the party's headquarters.

While the Jerusalem Post's account emphasizes the strategic standoff between Ankara and the PKK — each side refusing to move next amid regional instability — The Hindu's report highlights Ocalan's broader indictment of Turkey's democratic health, linking the peace process to the treatment of the political opposition.

Key Claims

  • Ocalan warned against any delay in taking legal steps to advance the peace process, saying that prolonging the state of expectation "only generates risk." The Hindu reports that he made these remarks in a message shared on May 25, 2026, following a visit by DEM party lawmakers to Imrali prison island on May 24.
  • The PKK formally renounced its armed struggle against the Turkish state last year, after four decades of violence that, according to The Hindu, claimed at least 50,000 lives on both sides.
  • The Jerusalem Post, citing interviews with Turkish officials, lawmakers, and PKK representatives, reports that both the government and the PKK are unwilling to take bold steps, especially with the region destabilized. The government appears reluctant to enact legislative reforms, including a potential amnesty for former PKK fighters, and to give Ocalan an official role in the peace process. Ankara says the PKK must fully disarm first.
  • The PKK, which announced its dissolution last year, says that disarming without legal guarantees would leave it exposed, so legislation must come first. Senior PKK officer Murat Karayilan was quoted as telling the PKK-linked Firat News Agency that it would be "irrational" to lay down arms without such guarantees at a time when war "drones and missiles are flying overhead."
  • Turkey has warned of the risk of new Kurdish mobilizations in Iran and Iraq, according to the Jerusalem Post report.
  • The Hindu reports that Ocalan also referred to skirmishes at the main opposition CHP party headquarters in Ankara on Sunday, May 24, where riot police fired tear gas. Ocalan asked whether breaking into a party headquarters with a sledgehammer is something that should happen in a democracy, calling such actions an "indicator of the absence of a properly functioning democracy and democratic politics."
  • The DEM party said a delegation is due to visit the ousted CHP leader, Ozgur Ozel, at his offices at the Turkish Parliament on Monday, May 25, from where he is now operating.

Perspectives

The material includes distinct viewpoints from the Turkish government and the PKK, as well as from Ocalan and DEM lawmakers.

Turkish Government

Ankara says the PKK must fully disarm before any legislative reforms are enacted. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the peace process will carry on, but the government is reportedly reluctant to enact measures such as a potential amnesty for former PKK fighters. Turkey has also warned of the risk of new Kurdish mobilizations in Iran and Iraq.

PKK

The PKK, which announced its dissolution last year, says it would be exposed if it disarmed without legal guarantees, and insists that legislation must come first. The group has characterized the government's demand for full disarmament as "unrealistic," and has pointed to the regional instability from the Iran war as a reason to secure legal protections.

Abdullah Ocalan and DEM Party

Ocalan has urged all actors to act with "responsibility" and ground the peace process in a legal framework, warning that delay generates risk. He has also linked the peace process to the broader state of democracy in Turkey, criticizing the recent police action at the CHP headquarters. Gulistan Kilic Kocyigit, a senior DEM lawmaker, said there is "unequivocally a pause" in the process, though not a complete halt.