The parliamentary committee supervising the terror-free Türkiye initiative decided on Friday with a majority vote that its members will visit the PKK terrorist group’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, at his island prison Imralı.
The National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee made the decision in a closed session at Parliament. The move is a part of its mandate to support the initiative that seeks to end four decades of PKK terrorism in Türkiye.
Having faced heightening calls for a hearing from Öcalan himself as it nears completion of its task, the 51-member committee needed at least 26 votes to approve an Imralı visit.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), its ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the PKK-affiliated Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) voted yes, while the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) rejected holding the session behind closed doors and left the meeting in protest. It said it would not join the voting session either but assured it would maintain its support for the initiative.
Ahead of the meeting, CHP Deputy Chair Murat Emir also said the party would not send a representative to Imralı if the visit is approved.
“It’s possible to have a more inclusive process via technological means instead of sending five lawmakers to the island,” Emir told reporters. "We don't want anything to be hidden from the public."
The anticipated visit is expected to take place within the next couple of days, as early as Sunday, Turkish media has reported.
Each party in the committee is set to contribute one member to the Imralı delegation.
AK Party named Deputy Chair and Hatay lawmaker Hüseyin Yayman to the delegation, party sources told Anadolu Agency. The party notified the Parliament Speaker’s Office that Yayman would serve on the delegation, citing his previous work, experience and academic background related to the process. The commission, chaired by Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, had voted with a three-fifths qualified majority to proceed with a visit to the Imralı facility, and the Speaker’s Office asked parliamentary groups to submit the names of their representatives by Saturday morning.
MHP Deputy Chair Feti Yıldız said he would go to Imralı on behalf of his party.
MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli upped the ante in his bid for the elimination of the PKK terrorist group on Tuesday, when he volunteered to hold talks with Öcalan.
Addressing lawmakers of his party at Parliament on Tuesday, Bahçeli said he wouldn't take offense at going to Imralı, marking yet another significant shift in the discourse of a veteran nationalist politician who once called for the hanging of Öcalan. The MHP chair launched the terror-free Türkiye initiative by shaking hands with lawmakers of a party he once called for closure for its links to the PKK.
In his speech on Tuesday, Bahçeli said there should not be foot-dragging in the committee’s visit to Imralı, as he earlier called on the committee to hold indirect or direct talks with Öcalan in one of its future sessions.
Öcalan is incarcerated at the Imralı island prison near Istanbul and responded to Bahçeli’s call for the PKK’s dissolution last year by urging his terrorist group to dissolve last February.
In July, the PKK started the disarmament process with a ceremony in northern Iraq. The group's disarmament is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
Earlier this month, the group announced it withdrew from a key stronghold in northern Iraq near the Turkish border, one month after it announced its withdrawal from Turkish territories.
In the coming months, the parliamentary committee is expected to draft a report that will serve as a guide to Parliament to take the next steps in the initiative, namely, regulations or bills to accelerate the process.
