Ruşen Çakır is asking jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan 20 questions. Will he get an answer?
Translated by Leo Kendrick
Hello,
I’ll start with the following: I am unsure how I should address you. President Erdoğan refers to you as ‘İmralı’. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan refers to you using the word ‘island’. According to Nationalist Action Party (MHP) chairman Devlet Bahçeli, you are the ‘founding leader’. If you ask DEM Party officials, they would refer to you as the ‘honorable Öcalan’.
In any case, my reason for writing this open letter is to ask you a few questions that have been on my mind. Because throughout the peace process that all of us believe to have started in October 2024, we have not had the opportunity to ask you your opinions directly.
From this angle, the declaration made on February 27th 2025 undoubtedly stands out as an important exception. Other than that, we have been forced to make due with the short press releases that have been made following meetings between you and visiting officials.
For a while, the notes from these meetings were leaked, allowing us a glimpse of what was happening behind closed doors. But these leaks seem to have upset some, and have now ceased.
Despite the very important events of late, we unfortunately have not had the opportunity to learn your thoughts on these developments. It seems that neither the Kurdish movement representatives who met with you nor the state want these events to become public knowledge.
You have been one of the key players in this process from the beginning. But both sides have kept you hidden from us so carefully that you seem like a “ghost:” present but absent. However, this situation cannot continue any longer. I believe that in the current context, it is essential that you speak directly to the media. You may have heard that I have openly stated my desire for such an interview since the beginning of the process. I hope you will be able to speak to the media soon. I also hope that I will be one of the journalists who will interview you.
But just in case, I want to present my questions in this open letter. I hope you become aware of these questions in some way, and I also hope that you will be able to answer them.
My 20 questions
- In your opinion, what constitutes success for this process?
- Do you believe the process will be successful?
- Looking at what has happened so far, how would you rank the reasons for the current slow-down of the process?
- What urgent changes are needed in order for the process to function properly?
- Who are you meeting with at İmralı, and who would you like to meet with?
- Did you foresee the recent events in Syria? Are you pleased with this situation? How do you see the near future of Syria?
- What do you say to the assessments that your leadership position within the Kurdish movement has been diminished following recent events in Syria, while Masoud Barzani’s position has increased?
- Are the official statements indicating “Kandil [PKK headquarters in the mountains of northern Iraq] did not listen to Öcalan on the Syria issue” true? If so, how can we believe that Kandil will follow your instructions from now on?
- Do you expect instability in Iran to the extent that regime change would be possible? In such a situation, what should the Kurds in Iran do, and how should they do it?
- Is the DEM Party showing the performance you would expect in the process?
- What role does Selahattin Demirtaş play, or should he play, in the Kurdish political movement in general, and specifically in this solution process?
- You propose “democratic integration” for Kurds in the countries where they live, primarily in Turkey. However, whether democracy exists in these countries, especially in Turkey, is highly debatable. How can this contradictory situation be overcome?
- In the leaked meeting notes, we saw that you made many warnings about Israel’s regional plans and its intentions to draw the Kurds to its side in regional conflicts. What exactly did you mean by that?
- Do Kurds in Turkey truly see you as a leader? Do you have a specific message for those Kurds who don’t?
- More importantly, what would you say to the large segment of the Turkish public who see you as a “separatist leader” or “baby killer”? Why should they believe and trust you?
- Did the fact that the CHP was not included in the İmralı delegation bother you? Do you expect to meet with any CHP officials in the near future?
- I assume you are aware of the “Social Peace and Democracy Conference” organized by the CHP in Istanbul on Saturday, January 31st. What is your view on this?
- What are your thoughts on the operations targeting CHP mayors, politicians, and bureaucrats recently, particularly the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, on March 19, 2025?
- In a conversation, you described Devlet Bahçeli as the most important statesman after Atatürk. Could I learn your sincere opinions about Bahçeli?
- What would you like to say about President Erdoğan? What is your response to the allegations that this process was initiated to re-elect him as president?
Thank you in advance.
Best,
Ruşen Çakır
For the Turkish 20 questions please click here.
