By Bosphorus News Türkiye Desk
Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) Executive Council Co-Chair Besê Hozat has called for Abdullah Öcalan to be given a separate legal and official status as coordinator of Türkiye's Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) disarmament process. She rejected the idea that he should serve on a state subcommittee.
Speaking on Medya Haber TV on September 29, Hozat said Öcalan was already acting as coordinator of what KCK figures call the "Peace and Democratic Society Process." She said the role should be legally defined, formally designated and publicly recognized.
Hozat said Öcalan was not part of the Disarmament and Strategic Coordination Subcommittee. She described the committees as state bodies and argued that his role should be established separately from them.
The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union. Ankara calls the current initiative "Terror-Free Türkiye." KCK figures and other Kurdish political actors use the "Peace and Democratic Society Process" formulation.
Türkiye's Law No. 7595, published on August 18, established a board chaired by the vice president to oversee implementation. At its first meeting, the board created four subcommittees, including the Disarmament and Strategic Coordination Subcommittee.
On September 17, presidential adviser Mehmet Uçum said Öcalan would be given a role in that subcommittee. His announcement introduced a role that had not previously appeared in the published implementation structure.
The board met again on September 28 and approved the subcommittees' structure, duties and areas of authority. Its public statement did not announce an appointment for Öcalan.
Senior KCK figures had already tied the next phase of the process to Öcalan's status. Cemil Bayık, Murat Karayılan and Evindar Ararat raised his status and conditions, including demands for physical freedom, as Türkiye moved from the disarmament law into implementation.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli also raised Öcalan's formal status in May. He proposed a "Peace Process and Politicisation Coordination Office" and said the PKK founder should have a defined role.
Sources: Medya Haber TV, Rûdaw, Mezopotamya Agency, Turkish Grand National Assembly, MHP, Bosphorus News review and reporting.