By Bosphorus News Türkiye Desk
By Sept. 6, Türkiye had begun implementing its legal framework for the dissolution and disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union. In separate statements, Cemil Bayık, Murat Karayılan and Evindar Ararat argued that Abdullah Öcalan's status or physical freedom should be addressed as the process advances.
The statements do not constitute a single formal PKK declaration. Bayık, Karayılan and Ararat spoke from different organizational positions and set out their own accounts of what should follow.
Bayık Says Öcalan and Senior Cadres Must Be Addressed
Bayık, identified by the Firat News Agency (ANF) as a "co-chair of the Executive Council" of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), told the outlet that Law No. 7595 should be treated as a starting point and argued that further legal and political measures were required. ANF regularly carries statements from the PKK and related organizations.
He said Öcalan's status and physical freedom were "very important to us" and argued that the process could not reach its stated goal unless Öcalan was able to work freely and later obtained physical freedom. Bayık also said the position of senior cadres excluded from the law needed to be clarified before returns to Türkiye could take place.
Bayık further claimed that a body had been established in which Öcalan would play a principal role in questions including disarmament, its timetable, returns to Türkiye and participation in political life. Türkiye's publicly announced implementation structure has assigned no such role to Öcalan.
Türkiye created four subcommittees to implement the law on Aug. 24 under the National Solidarity and Integration Coordination Board chaired by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz. The announced structure made no reference to an Öcalan-led body.
Karayılan Calls Physical Freedom an 'Indispensable Condition'
Karayılan addressed the 34th International Kurdish Culture Festival in Dortmund by video on Sept. 5. ANF identified him as a "member of the People's Defense Center command."
He said armed struggle had played its role and that political objectives should now be pursued through democratic politics. Karayılan described Öcalan's physical freedom as "the most important issue" in advancing the process and an "indispensable condition" for the organization's members and armed cadres. He said Öcalan should personally lead the process and argued that it could not succeed otherwise.
Karayılan also called on Kurdish organizations to develop a common strategy and what he termed "national democratic unity."
He had made a similar argument before the current law was enacted. In his June 12 statement, Karayılan distinguished ending an armed-struggle strategy from immediate disarmament and said Öcalan's freedom had to come first.
His Sept. 5 message repeats that position after the new implementation mechanism has begun work. It does not establish that Türkiye has accepted it.
Ararat Says There Can Be No Peace Without Öcalan's Freedom
Evindar Ararat appeared on Stêrk TV in an interview carried by ANF on Sept. 5 and 6. ANF identified her as a "Coordination member" of the People's Free Women's Party (PAJK).
Ararat said further laws and political steps were needed and argued that there could be no peace without Öcalan's freedom. She also described a future in which armed members returned to society and continued their activity through democratic politics.
Ararat was speaking from her position in PAJK, not issuing a formal PKK statement. Her remarks remain attributable to her and the organization she represents.
Türkiye's Law Starts With Verification
Law No. 7595 was adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on Aug. 10 and published in the Official Gazette on Aug. 18. Its implementation board met six days later and established four subcommittees covering judicial and legal affairs, monitoring and determination, social cohesion and integration, and disarmament and strategic coordination.
The law is in force, but certain provisions concerning investigations, prosecutions and the execution of sentences depend on a formal determination that the PKK, KCK and related formations have ended their de facto existence and surrendered all weapons and ammunition under their control. Security institutions must make that determination before it is confirmed through a National Security Council decision published in the Official Gazette.
The legislation does not make Öcalan's physical freedom a prerequisite for that determination. The publicly announced implementation structure also does not establish the sequence described by Bayık, Karayılan or Ararat.
Karayılan Raised the Öcalan Issue Before the Law
Calls concerning Öcalan's status were present before the August legislation.
In December 2025, Amed Malazgirt, described at the time by movement-linked media as a "PKK executive," said further steps depended on action from the Turkish state, including Öcalan's freedom and broader political demands.
Karayılan raised Öcalan's freedom again in June. Türkiye adopted Law No. 7595 in August and began operating its four-subcommittee implementation mechanism later that month.
Türkiye's implementation mechanism is operating under a sequence tied to verified dissolution and weapons surrender. The Öcalan-related steps described by Bayık, Karayılan and Ararat do not appear in the law or in the publicly announced structure of the coordination board.
Sources: Turkish Grand National Assembly, National Solidarity and Integration Coordination Board, Firat News Agency, Medyascope, Stêrk TV, Bosphorus News review and reporting.