Now seems public: Öcalan criticizes Demirtaş

I have been hearing about this for a while from many Kurdish friends. Now I see it is on the news: Abdullah Öcalan stated that Selahattin Demirtaş’s famous 2015 slogan “Seni başkan yaptırmayacağız” (“We will not let you become president”) was a mistake.turkiyekhabar+3 Details of Öcalan’s Comments Öcalan criticized Demirtaş’s choice to use the slogan … Read more

PKK’s disarmament ceremony

Unlike the previous attempts, the ceremony occurred after a long series of negotiations behind the doors so that no parties would be humiliated (remembering the Habur gate incident). This, of course, does not stop nationalists fuming. They may be right on some points, but peace is still better than not. Full text: PKK statement during … Read more

Öcalan released a 7-minute video. 

Öcalan released a 7-minute video. This is historic and provides food for thought for commentators on TV and YouTube. But I feel like people have already moved on to the other issues. There was much talk about the brand of the T-shirt Öcalan was wearing, rather than political debates on social media – of course, … Read more

Aftermath of PKK disbanding declaration. Who says what in Türkiye?

In early May 2025, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) held its 12th Congress in northern Iraq and announced it would dissolve its organizational structure and end its armed struggle. This unprecedented declaration – effectively disbanding the PKK after 40+ years of insurgency – ignited intense public reactions and debates across Turkeyreuters.comreuters.com. All segments of Turkish … Read more

End of an Era: PKK Disbands. What That Means for Türkiye and the Region

The mood is calm, not much excitement, but this is historic in any case. The PKK’s decision to disband after four decades of conflict represents a potential turning point in Turkish-Kurdish relations and regional stability. While the announcement has been met with cautious optimism from various stakeholders, there is widespread acknowledgment that this is just … Read more

Updates in Türkiye’s peace process (as of May 11, 2025)

It is funny that I could not find a suitable image for this post. An image that includes Öcalan or PKK imagery may be risky if the negotiations turn sour; the AI produced some fictional images where the Turkish and PKK flags were of equal size, which may trigger nationalist reactions. I decided to publish … Read more

PKK announced ceasefire but I feel like not much excitement around

We live through exciting days, but I feel like PKK’s announcement did not get adequate coverage among the regional and global developments. Since most of the negotiations were secret, we do not know much, but I am glad to hear this anyway! Öcalan’s call got a response from his organizationç The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) … Read more

Öcalan is back with some significant statements

Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the PKK, recently made significant statements during a meeting with lawmakers from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) on December 28, 2024, at İmralı prison. His key messages focused on peace, democracy, and brotherhood for Turkey and the region[1][2].   Main Points of Öcalan’s Statement Turkish-Kurdish Brotherhood: Öcalan … Read more

Strange times. Bahçeli invited Öcalan to the Turkish Parliament.

A new Kurdish peace process is on the way. MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) leader Devlet Bahçeli made some significant statements about PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan during his party’s group meeting today. Here are the key points: Bahçeli called for Öcalan’s isolation conditions to be lifted, suggesting that Öcalan could speak in the Turkish Grand National … Read more

Turkish justice: “Police who shot dead Gezi protester fined $2,800”

Police who shot dead Gezi protester fined $2,800  Hurriyet Daily News   A court in Istanbul has fined a police officer who shot dead a protester during the 2013 Gezi Park protests. Turkey’s high court receives 60,000 applications since July 15 coup attempt: Top Judge  Hurriyet Daily News   Some 60,000 individual applications have been made to … Read more

A chart on Terror attacks in Turkey and A map that shows which HDP offices attacked after the Kayseri bombing

Terror attacks in Turkey..The chart speaks for itself.. pic.twitter.com/QlBH9ZtS5o — METIN GURCAN (@Metin4020) December 18, 2016 NEWS ANALYSIS: PKK striking to drag Turkey into civil war  Hurriyet Daily News   Exactly a week after a suicide bomb attack in Beşiktaş that killed 46 people and wounded 166 on Dec. 10, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) … Read more

Istanbul news roundup: “Istanbul’s housing prices decline amid oversupply

Murder in Istanbul BBC News | Europe | World Edition   Twelve men from the countries of the former USSR have been assassinated in Turkey, and there’s evidence that some of the hitmen were from Russia. Istanbul’s housing prices decline amid oversupply Hurriyet Daily News   Property prices have dropped up to 20 percent in several parts … Read more

This time sad news come from #Kayseri -Turkey PM blames PKK for car bomb that killed 13 soldiers… HDP office attacked afterwards….

Turkey PM blames PKK for car bomb that killed 13 soldiers on bus World news: Turkey | guardian.co.uk by Nicola Slawson   Blast near university in Kayseri targets public bus, wounding 55 other soldiers and civilians Car bomb kills soldiers on public bus in Turkey – video World news: Turkey | guardian.co.uk   A car bomb in … Read more

For the record, 259 journalist jailed in 2016, Turkey is the world leader…

2016 prison census: 259 journalists jailed worldwide https://t.co/TeZjE8THPs via @pressfreedomYou guessed it. Turkey is the world leader. pic.twitter.com/p7sn8oQsKY — ilhan tanir (@WashingtonPoint) December 13, 2016 Turkey: Silencing the Media hrw.org – Dec 14, 9:01 PM (Istanbul) – Turkey’s government has all but silenced independent media in an effort to prevent scrutiny or criticism of its … Read more

Hundreds of HDP executives detained as death toll reaches 44 in the latest Istanbul bombed attack….

  HDP Executives Detained in Simultaneous Operations 118 people from the HDP have been detained during operations launched against HDP’s provincial and district executives in İstanbul, Ankara, Adana, Manisa and Mersin. HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş suffers heart spasm in prison: MP Bilgen Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş suffered a heart spasm in jail on Dec. … Read more