If PKK’s Ocalan renounces violence, he may get parole, says Erdogan ally Bahceli

Sub : IR

Sec: Places in news

Context:

The leader of Turkiye’s far right nationalist party that’s allied with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised the possibility of parole for Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the militant Kurdish group Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
This development comes amidst speculation about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeking support from pro-Kurdish political factions.

Details:

Bahceli suggested that Ocalan could be granted parole if he renounces violence and disbands the PKK.
The proposal is linked to Erdogan’s efforts to engage Turkiye’s pro-Kurdish party, Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), to facilitate constitutional changes.
The DEM, the third-largest party in Parliament, has long advocated for better conditions for Ocalan, who has been serving a life sentence in isolation on an island near Istanbul since 1999.

Need for constitutional changes:

The existing constitution restricts Erdogan from seeking re-election unless early elections are called.
Changes could potentially allow Erdogan to extend his rule beyond the current constitutional limits, as he has been in power since 2003.

Background on PKK:

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK is a Kurdish militant political organization, originally founded in 1978 by the Marxist revolutionary Abdullah Ocalan.
It emerged from a leftist ideology and aimed to establish an independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey.
The PKK has been engaged in an armed struggle for autonomy in southeastern Turkiye since 1984, leading to significant violence and loss of life, with tens of thousands affected.
The group is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkiye and its Western allies.