Peregraf
The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), an umbrella group led by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has announced that the long-anticipated disarmament ceremony of the PKK will proceed but without live media coverage or press attendance. The decision was made in light of what the KCK described as security concerns.
In a press release issued by the group, the KCK stated: “The ceremony, which was expected to be held in Sulaimani province, was changed due to the security situation. The ceremony will be held, but will not be broadcast live and journalists will not be able to attend the ceremony.”
As a substitute, the KCK said that a large screen would be installed near the ceremony site where videos of the event will be shown afterward. “That is the only way they [journalists and the public] can get information,” the statement read. “We sincerely apologize for this late change and thank you for your understanding.”
The ceremony follows the PKK’s 12th Congress, held from May 5–7 in the Medya Defense Areas within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. On May 12, the PKK declared an official end to all its activities under the group’s name and announced its dissolution as an armed organization—describing the move as a “historic shift” in the Kurdish freedom movement.
The congress decision was heavily influenced by a message from jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, delivered by a DEM Party delegation on February 27. In the message, Öcalan urged the PKK to transition from armed struggle to political and democratic resistance, stating: “The time has come to open a new chapter based on democratic unity and political engagement.”
Öcalan has been imprisoned in near-total isolation on Turkey’s İmralı Island since 1999 and has made few public statements in recent years. His message and call for a new strategy are being seen by analysts as a critical juncture in the decades-long Kurdish conflict across the region.