Kurdish leader moved within Imrali prison

Turkey moved Abdullah Ocalan to a newly built section of the Imrali prison this week.

Mithat Sancar, a lawmaker for the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, confirmed the transfer in an interview with Medya Haber TV on Saturday. Sancar did not specify the exact date of the move but linked it to the ongoing peace process.

Ocalan, the founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has been held on the island of Imrali in the Marmara Sea since his capture in 1999. The Marmara Sea connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea.

Sancar stated that the relocation necessitates an acceleration of the peace process. He described the current state of negotiations as being on a pause for the last two months.

Improving Ocalan’s prison conditions has been a primary demand from Kurdish representatives. Sancar did not explicitly confirm that the new section offers better accommodations, though his comments suggested an upgrade in living conditions.

The transfer comes after a series of developments aimed at ending a 42-year conflict. In February 2025, Ocalan called for the PKK to disband and disarm. Three months later, the group announced it would lay down its arms and end hostilities.

In August, the Turkish parliament approved legislation granting a conditional pardon to thousands of PKK fighters. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the bill into law. The conflict, which began in 1984, has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people.

Sancar, who is part of a group of DEM politicians regularly visiting Ocalan, emphasized that the peace leader must coordinate negotiations. He criticized the Turkish government for maintaining a rigid stance. “The process cannot proceed with unilateral expectations and demands,” Sancar said, adding that Ankara needs to move away from its insistent approach.