The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
March 23, 2015

Kurdish Rebel Leader Seeks Vote on Ending Armed Struggle 
---------------------------------------------------------


 
Jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Öcalan is calling on his group to
consider ending a three-decade uprising against Turkey. Öcalan is
serving a life sentence after leading the PKK in its struggle for
autonomy in Turkey's southeast. Peace talks have faltered since their
launch in late 2012. In a statement read to tens of thousands of
supporters, Öcalan called for a formal congress to consider ending the
armed struggle, but stopped short of declaring an immediate halt.

Sirri Süreyya Önder, reading message from Abdullah Öcalan: "We have
the duty to kick off a new phase. I regard it necessary and historic for
PKK to hold a congress to end a 40-year-old armed struggle against
Turkey and designate new social and strategic moves for this new period
as articulated in a joint declaration."

 

.