“We are entering an era of living in peace and brotherhood,” Ocalan said in a letter he sent to his supporters from prison as quoted by Today’s Zaman news outlet.
The letter was delivered at a rally marking the Kurdish New Year in Diyarbakir, the predominantly Kurdish city in eastern Turkey.
The message includes steps aimed at reaching a peaceful settlement of a 29-year-long conflict, agreed upon by Ocalan and Turkish authorities.
Turkish Kurdistan region has long wanted to separate from Turkey and establish an independent state. An armed conflict between Turkey and various Kurdish insurgent groups began back in 1986, when the PKK announced a “Kurdish uprising.”
According to the Turkish Parliament’s Human Rights Research Commission, the military confrontation claimed at least 35,000 lives.
