According to Mynet news website, the government is once again debating the possible release of Selahattin Demirtaş, a jailed Kurdish politician, following recent conciliatory gestures from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his far-right ally amid heightened hopes of an end to the armed conflict between Turkey and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Demirtaş, the former co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and a longtime critic of Erdoğan, has been imprisoned on terrorism-related charges since November 2016. His arrest was part of a broader government-led crackdown following a coup attempt in July 2016. Despite rulings from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) calling for his release, Turkish authorities have refused to comply.
Erdoğan’s gesture sparks speculation
According to a report by journalist Yıldıray Oğur from the Serbestiyet news website, Erdoğan recently allowed Demirtaş to travel from his prison in Edirne to İstanbul to accompany his wife, Başak, during surgery. The move followed a request from Demirtaş to the Justice Ministry, which was forwarded to Erdoğan.
While Demirtaş was at the hospital, far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli — who has called Demirtaş a “terrorist” on many occasions — reportedly called him to wish his wife a speedy recovery and thank him for supporting the peace process.
Bahçeli, a staunch critic of both the PKK and Demirtaş, surprised many last October when he offered an olive branch to Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned PKK leader, suggesting he renounce terrorism publicly. His recent outreach to Demirtaş fueled further speculation about a shift in Turkey’s stance on Kurdish political figures.
PKK leader makes historic call
In a significant development last week, Öcalan urged the PKK to lay down its arms and disband, a landmark call that many see as a step toward ending the decades-long conflict. Founded in 1978, the PKK has waged an insurgency against Turkey since 1984, a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people. Turkey and its Western allies designate the PKK as a terrorist organization.
Öcalan, in a written statement, thanked Erdoğan and Bahçeli for their role in supporting the peace process.
“The call made by Mr. Devlet Bahçeli, along with the will expressed by Mr. President and the positive responses from political parties, have created an environment in which I am making a call for the laying down of arms. I take on the historic responsibility of this call,” Öcalan said.
His statement was widely welcomed, both in Turkey and internationally, with many suggesting it could help resolve the long-standing conflict between the Turkish state and the PKK.
Demirtaş expressed support for Öcalan’s call in an article he wrote from prison, published by the Gazete Duvar news website.
“Let’s be on the side of peace,” Demirtaş wrote, vowing to do everything in his power to ensure Erdoğan, Bahçeli and Öcalan succeed in their efforts. He wished the three leaders “long and healthy lives.”
Sources within the MHP told journalist Oğur that the conversation between Demirtaş and Bahçeli was positive. Oğur thinks these gestures could reassure skeptical Kurdish communities and opposition groups who fear Demirtaş is being sidelined in the peace process.
Oğur and other analysts believe Erdoğan and Bahçeli’s recent moves could pave the way for Demirtaş’s eventual release from prison, aligning with ECtHR rulings.
Meanwhile, pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan confirmed during a news conference on Monday the call Bahçeli made to Demirtaş. She said Bahçeli also called veteran Kurdish politician Ahmet Türk, telling him after Öcalan’s statement that everything will be fine.
Türk was part of a DEM Party delegation that visited Öcalan in prison and then briefed the political parties on the talks.
Demirtaş ran against Erdoğan in Turkey’s 2014 and 2018 presidential elections, conducting his 2018 campaign from prison. During the lead-up to the 2023 presidential election, Erdoğan used nationalist rhetoric and vowed that Demirtaş would remain behind bars as long as he was in power.
Now, as Turkey faces a potential turning point in its Kurdish policy, the future of Demirtaş — and the broader peace process — remains uncertain.
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