PKK Takes First Formal Step Towards Disarmament

PUKMEDIA

The PKK members who laid down their arms.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) took the first formal step towards disarmament on Friday, 11 July 2025, marking a significant turning point after more than four decades of armed struggle.

A group of 30 PKK members, including senior officials, laid down their weapons in the Surdash area of Sulaymaniyah, inaugurating the initial phase of a broader disarmament process, with further steps expected to follow.

Identifying themselves as the Peace and Democratic Society Group, the members declared: “To advance a successful phase of peace and democratic society, and as a gesture of goodwill and firm resolve to continue our struggle for freedom, democracy and socialism through democratic politics and legal means—guided by legislation for democratic integration and consolidation—we hereby, of our own free will and in your presence, lay down our weapons.”

The group expressed hope that this act would contribute to peace, justice, and freedom for women and youth in particular, for the Kurdish people, for all peoples of Türkiye and the broader Middle East, and for humanity at large.

“We are fully aware that none of what has been achieved thus far came easily—it came at a great cost, through sacrifice and relentless struggle,” they stated. “We know the path ahead will be no less difficult. Nonetheless, we call on all regional and international actors who bear responsibility for our people's suffering to respect our democratic and legitimate national rights, and to support a peaceful and democratic resolution.”

The disarmament ceremony was attended by representatives of Kurdish political parties, the Iraqi federal government, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the Turkish government and various dignitaries and guests.

This development follows a recent appeal by PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has urged an end to the armed struggle and advocated for a full transition to peaceful, legal, and democratic political activity governed by the rule of law.

The four-decade conflict between Türkiye and the PKK has claimed more than 40,000 lives, left vast regions scarred by violence, and significantly shaped Turkish politics and security policy. The current disarmament initiative represents the first meaningful step towards the permanent cessation of the PKK’s armed struggle.



PUKMEDIA