Lawyer: Turkey stalls peace process, lacks seriousness in implementing “Right to Hope” 

Lawyers of leader Ocalan submitted a notification to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe regarding the “Right to Hope,” which could allow for his release after he has spent nearly 27 years in prison under aggravated life imprisonment.

So far, the Turkish state has not taken any steps in line with the ECHR ruling in the second case concerning leader Ocalan, under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which is linked to the “Right to Hope.”

In this context, leader Ocalan’s lawyers proposed that the recommendation of granting this right be reviewed in the upcoming committee meeting and reconsidered of the warning issued by the Council to Turkey. The committee had previously held a meeting between 15–17 September 2025 to discuss the “Right to Hope” for leader Ocalan, giving Turkey until June 2026 to implement the ECHR decision.

Commenting on Turkey’s seriousness regarding the peace process, lawyer Khaled Omar said that the Turkish state continues a form of “stalling” in relation to the Peace Process and the Democratic Society framework. He argued that its seriousness is not sufficiently clear, despite what the Kurdish Freedom Movement has presented in terms of significant steps known to all, including the dissolution of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its withdrawal from the Turkish border areas.

Omar added that the Turkish state is not dealing with the issue with the required level of seriousness, attributing this to its ongoing pressure on leader Ocalan, the Kurdish Freedom Movement, and the Kurdish people in general.

He also said that Turkey is closely watching developments concerning the Kurdish people in Syria, at a time when the Middle East is experiencing wars and crises, stressing that all these factors influence the trajectory of the process.

Omar explained that Turkey is following a policy of “one step forward, one step back,” appearing as though it both wants the process to succeed and simultaneously does not. He attributed this policy to Turkey’s desire to gain further leverage and maintain pressure on the Kurdish Freedom Movement and the Kurdish people. He added: “All these factors relate to the question of the Turkish state’s seriousness in the peace process.”

Regarding Turkey’s failure to implement the ECHR rulings on granting leader Ocalan the “Right to Hope,” Omar noted that the Council of Europe has granted Turkey a deadline until June of this year to implement the ruling. He said that the Turkish state has taken no steps about this issue so far.

He further stated that leader Ocalan’s lawyers have submitted a request to the Council of Europe, warning that if Turkey does not grant this right, or if leader Ocalan is not granted physical freedom for any reason, this would constitute a clear violation. It would also demonstrate that Turkey is disregarding human rights conventions, particularly Article 3.

On what is required from Turkey to make the peace process successful, Omar stressed that the state must begin implementing fundamental legal reforms. First and foremost, he said, legal amendments are needed to enable leader Ocalan to obtain his physical freedom or improved detention conditions that would allow him to conduct negotiations and agreements with Turkish officials within the framework of the peace process.

He also called for broader constitutional changes in Turkey and amendments to laws that negatively affect Kurdish rights. He emphasized that this responsibility lies with the Turkish parliament, which must prepare and submit such proposals for a vote.

Omar concluded that Turkey can be considered serious about the peace process only when these changes are implemented and  the physical freedom of leader Ocalan is granted. Keeping the leader in prison, he said, indicates a lack of seriousness and suggests the process is merely a waste of time. He warned that the process could collapse at any moment and that conflict could return, which would serve no one’s interest.

He added that a return to war is not in anyone’s interest. After more than 40 years of conflict, even Turkey has acknowledged that the outcome has been immense human sacrifices and economic losses reaching trillions of dollars. The Kurdish people, he said, would also not benefit from the end of the peace process.

Khaled Omar concluded by stating that the real interest lies in the interests of peoples in general and in a democratic Turkish state—not in its current form, but as a state that embraces all its components and recognizes their rights, particularly the rights of the Kurdish people, through fair political and legal solutions.

A-H

ANHA