The Kurdistan Workersʼ Party has dissolved itself

The Kurdistan Workersʼ Party (PKK) has announced its dissolution, a decision made during its 12th congress.

This was reported by the broadcaster Rudaw Media Network.

The political force has decided to cease armed struggle and activities under the name of the PKK in general. Its leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is serving a life sentence in a Turkish prison, had previously called for this. He also appealed to the Turkish leadership to “show respect for ethnic minorities, freedom of expression and the right to democratic self-organization”.

At the last congress, party representatives remembered its prominent figures — Ali Haydar Katan and Riza Altun. They were among the founders of the Kurdistan Workersʼ Party, Ali Haydar Katan died in 2021.

"The PKK has completed its historic mission, overcoming the policy of denial and destruction, and has opened the way to a political solution to the Kurdish issue," representatives of the political force said.

The Kurdistan Workersʼ Party (PKK) is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union, and the United States. It has been fighting Turkey since 1984, demanding autonomy for Turkeyʼs Kurds. However, in March 2025, the party declared a ceasefire with Ankara.

• The Kurds are an ethnic group whose representatives live in eastern Turkey, western Iran, northern Iraq and northern Syria. The majority of Kurds are Muslim, with minorities of Yazidis, Christians and Jews. The question of creating an independent Kurdistan in the Middle East arose during the 20th century, after the First and Second World Wars. However, the Kurds still do not have their own state.

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