Toward peace: PKK initiates disarmament process

The event took place near Sulaymaniyah in Iraq, on Friday, where 30 PKK members — 15 men and 15 women — destroyed their weapons.

The disarmament was conducted in the presence of media outlets and several Turkish parties and groups, including the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).

Another 30 PKK members are expected to follow suit and destroy their weapons next month.

This disarmament ceremony marks a turning point in the PKK’s transition from armed rebellion to democratic political engagement. It is part of broader efforts to end one of the region’s longest-running conflicts, which has claimed more than 40,000 lives since 1984.

The PKK, founded by Abdullah Öcalan in the late 1970s, announced on May 12 that it would disband and lay down arms, effectively ending a conflict that has long strained relations between Turkish authorities, the Kurdish minority, and neighboring countries.

The decision followed a call by Öcalan on February 27 from his prison on İmralı Island near Istanbul. On March 1, the PKK — designated a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies — declared a ceasefire.