Öcalan transferred to a new location in Imrali prison

According to Kurdistan Press, "Metat Senjar " member of the Democrat Party (Democratic Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party) delegation during the Imrali meetings announced in an interview with the "Media Khabar" television channel that Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), has been transferred to a new location prepared for him in the Imrali Island prison complex. Senjar considered this development an important step in the current situation of the peace process and called for the speed of negotiations to be increased. In an interview with this TV channel, Senjar referred to the status of the "Peace and Democratic Society" process and said that this process has faced stagnation and halt over the past two months and some of the plans and schedules set have not been implemented.

Stressing the need to continue the talks in Imrali, he stated that after the steps taken by the Kurdish movement, it is necessary for the responsible delegation to travel to Imrali Island to talk with Öcalan. According to Senjar, the institution that should cooperate with Öcalan is the "Peace and Politicization Council" and that it is of great importance to provide the opportunity for this council to operate.

This Imrali delegation member emphasized that Öcalan must have a central role in coordinating and advancing the political process and accepting the transfer to a new location should also be considered as a factor in accelerating this process. Senjar continued to criticize the Turkish government's approach to the negotiation process, saying that it cannot proceed based on unilateral expectations and demands. He added that in order to overcome the existing obstacles, the Turkish government must distance itself from its strict stances and insistence on new preconditions and show more flexibility.

He also emphasized that Öcalan should be allowed to play a role as a coordinator of the peace process and that providing conditions for the delegation responsible for negotiating with him could help advance the negotiations. Sincar believes that Öcalan's goal is to unite the Kurds as a political actor and provide the basis for their effective presence in the political arena. Pervin Boldan's explanation about Öcalan's new location

In this regard, "Pervin Boldan", another member of the İmralı delegation of the Democratic Party, also provided explanations about Öcalan's transfer and said that the new location is still within the İmralı prison complex and the transfer does not mean leaving the prison.

Boldan described this place as a space to organize Öcalan's working conditions and emphasized that changing his location alone does not mean changing his legal and political status.

She also said that Öcalan has been demanding meetings with various sectors of society, including women's organizations, journalists and academics, since the beginning of the process, but these meetings have not yet materialized and the meetings are still limited to the political delegation. According to the Associated Press, Senjar confirmed Ocalan’s transfer to the newly built section of the Imrali prison complex, but exact details of the facilities and conditions of the new facility have not yet been independently determined. Ocalan has been held at the Imrali island prison since his arrest in 1999.

The developments come as Turkey’s peace and democratic society process entered a new phase after Ocalan called in February 2025 for the PKK to disband and lay down its arms. The PKK announced its decision to end its armed activities and disband its organization in May of that year. However, Senjar said the political process had been stalled for the past two months and that countermeasures and a change in the Turkish government’s approach were needed to continue.