The jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has made his first appearance on camera in more than two decades, as he reiterated a call for the group to lay down its weapons and move towards non-violent politics.
The PKK and its “national liberation war strategy have come to an end,” Abdullah Ocalan said in a video message dated June 19 and released on Wednesday.
“I believe in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons, and I call on you to realise this principle,” Ocalan told his PKK members in the seven-minute speech.
Ocalan, whose group is designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the European Union, has been held in a remote prison on Imrali Island in the Sea of Marmara, south of Istanbul, since being captured by Turkish security forces in 1999. The last time he appeared on camera was during his trial. In the latest video, he is seen with white hair and a fuller figure.
Ocalan founded the PKK in the 1970s. The group waged an armed insurgency against the Turkish state for decades in an attempt to secure greater rights for the country's Kurdish minority. About one-fifth of Turkey's population is ethnically Kurdish.
The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people on both sides and the PKK became Ankara's number one security priority.
Ocalan first called on PKK members to disarm and dissolve the group in February, in a move that opened the pathway to end one of the Middle East’s most intractable conflicts. At the time, his message was read out by members of Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish political party, the People’s Democracy and Equality Party (DEM).
The call came after a prolonged process initiated by an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the ultranationalist politician Devlet Bahceli, to offer greater freedom for Ocalan in exchange for the PKK’s dissolution.
In May, the PKK agreed to dissolve, and this week said it will begin the process of disarming by destroying some of its weapons in a ceremony in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Many PKK members live in mountainous areas of Kurdish-majority parts of northern Iraq.
Kurdish politicians in Turkey, who distinguish themselves from the PKK, are pushing for Ankara to move faster in what they describe as a democratisation process aimed at securing peace. The central government has framed the process as aiming to achieve a “terror-free Turkey” after more than four decades of conflict with the militant group.
Ocalan appears surrounded by members of a study group composed of other prisoners in the video. DEM party officials have previously confirmed he has been allowed to meet a small number of other prisoners in the months since the opening with Turkish authorities began.
It was not known who filmed the footage or how permission for its release was granted. DEM officials have met Ocalan in jail several times in recent months and on Monday they met Mr Erdogan for the second time in four months.
As part of the process, Kurdish politicians in Turkey are broadly calling for better prison conditions for Ocalan and the formation of a parliamentary commission to solidify the opening with the PKK in Turkish law. That could lead to amendments to the country’s anti-terrorism laws to determine the fate of current PKK members and enable their return to Turkey without legal repercussions. They also want greater rights to use the Kurdish language and an end to curbs on Kurdish political activity.
The PKK has framed its initial disarmament this week as a way of pushing for firmer action from the Turkish state on these issues. In the video, Ocalan warned against tit-for-tat demands and called on his members to lay down their weapons.
“The voluntary laying down of arms as a general part of the process and the work of the comprehensive commission to be established in the Turkish parliament, authorised by law, are important,” Ocalan said. “It is imperative to show care and sensitivity in taking steps without falling into the vicious logic, you/me first.”
The Turkish government has not spoken in great depth about the PKK dissolution process, but senior officials have generally voiced support for its continuation.
"There is, and cannot be, any step in the terror-free Turkey efforts that would tarnish the memory of our martyrs or hurt their spirits," Mr Erdogan said on Wednesday in remarks to MPs from his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). He previously said the process “will gain momentum once the terrorist organisation begins to implement its decision to lay down arms".
Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin travelled to the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Tuesday, where the process of the PKK’s dissolution and disarmament was the main agenda item in his meetings with senior Iraqi officials, Turkish state broadcaster TRT reported.
While most of the PKK members in Iraq live in areas under control of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government, the Turkey-Iraq border security forces are under federal control, and Ankara appears keen to have central buy-in for the process.
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Tour de France
When: July 7-29
UAE Team Emirates:
Dan Martin, Alexander Kristoff, Darwin Atapuma, Marco Marcato, Kristijan Durasek, Oliviero Troia, Roberto Ferrari and Rory Sutherland
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994
- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
My Country: A Syrian Memoir
Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Under 19 Cricket World Cup, Asia Qualifier
Fixtures
Friday, April 12, Malaysia v UAE
Saturday, April 13, UAE v Nepal
Monday, April 15, UAE v Kuwait
Tuesday, April 16, UAE v Singapore
Thursday, April 18, UAE v Oman
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Aaron Benjamin, Akasha Mohammed, Alishan Sharafu, Anand Kumar, Ansh Tandon, Ashwanth Valthapa, Karthik Meiyappan, Mohammed Faraazuddin, Rishab Mukherjee, Niel Lobo, Osama Hassan, Vritya Aravind, Wasi Shah
