In a public message from prison on Monday, jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan sent a tribute to ailing MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder, describing him as the “finest embodiment of peace” in Turkey’s turbulent political landscape. The statement, relayed by the the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party after a prison visit to İmralı Island, sparked renewed reflection on Önder’s symbolic role in Turkey’s long-stalled Kurdish peace efforts.
Öcalan’s message followed a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with his lawyer Özgür Erol and DEM Party İmralı delegation member MP Pervin Buldan. The group made the announcement outside the İstanbul Florence Nightingale Hospital where Önder has been receiving treatment for the past week.
Pervin Buldan, a senior figure in the DEM Party, read Öcalan’s words aloud, stating that the imprisoned leader was “deeply saddened” by Önder’s illness but hopeful about his recovery. She said the visit had been “highly productive” and confirmed that Öcalan remains attentive to developments outside prison, closely following media coverage on Önder’s condition.
Öcalan called Önder a “true representative of Anatolian culture and Turkmen heritage” and a person who “shattered prejudices in society, in Parliament, and on the streets”.
“I have worked alongside Sırrı Süreyya Önder for 12 years,” Öcalan wrote. “He is the opposite of the mindset that insists on enmity and seeks to conduct politics in that way.”
The statement underscores the depth of Önder’s influence within the Kurdish movement and broader leftist politics in Turkey. Known for his role in the 2013 peace process and his years in parliament representing the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Önder has long been an advocate for democratic reconciliation between Kurds and the Turkish state.
In his message, Öcalan praised Önder’s ability to “cope with and manage adversity”, saying true loyalty to his legacy would mean continuing to work toward peace.
Buldan reiterated the DEM Party’s commitment to peace and dialogue, which Önder embodies, and noted how Öcalan’s message affirms these core party principles.
