The leadership of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), banned in Turkey, has announced the dissolution of the party. This marks the end of a long armed struggle against the Turkish state. The imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, had previously called for disarmament.
The decision to dissolve was made by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) itself. The party cited the ongoing conflict between the Kurds and the Turkish state as a reason. The announcement was made on Monday, May 12, according to the ANF news agency.
Abdullah Öcalan, the founder and leader of the PKK, has been serving a life sentence on the island of Imrali since 1999. He was initially sentenced to death, but the sentence was later commuted. Öcalan had previously sought political asylum in Greece, Russia, and Italy before his capture.