ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan was visited by his nephews Ali and Omer Ocalan on Saturday, and delivered a message on the occasion of the Eid al-Adha, Omer Ocalan said in an X post on Sunday. 

“I congratulate our people on a sacrifice-free Eid al-Adha. Greetings to all our people,” the jailed leader said in his message.

Turkish authorities have recently shown more leniency toward Ocalan as the country navigates a complicated peace prospect with its long-time foe.

The PKK leader has been visited by his family several times since prominent Turkish politician Devlet Bahceli proposed a peace solution that led to the PKK announcing in May that the group had agreed to disband and dissolve upon a February call by Ocalan. 

The PKK said they would “end all activities” and armed struggle against Turkey in favor of a peaceful, political, and dialogue-based approach to the Kurdish issue.

Long designated a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies, the PKK has been an armed group fighting for increased Kurdish rights in Turkey for decades, predominantly engaging in armed conflict with Turkish forces from the mountainous borders of the Kurdish Region in Iraq and Syria.

In addition to Ocalan, at least six others convicts held at the Imrali prison – a high security F-type prison on the secluded Imrali island south of the sea of Marmara – were also visited by family members on the Eid occasion, all of whom were imprisoned for being affiliated with the militant group. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated Friday that Ankara is working to eliminate any obstacles to the success of the peace process with the PKK.

The group’s decision to disband was widely welcomed both locally and internationally. Many in Turkey and beyond now look forward with renewed hope that the developments would pave the way for a democratic solution towards the Kurdish issue.