World News

Turkey reportedly relocates jailed Kurdish leader Ocalan to new prison section

ABC News reports Turkey has moved Abdullah Ocalan to a newly built section of his island prison, as a Kurdish lawmaker confirmed the move while urging the paused peace process to speed up.

Updated Nov 2, 2026 · 11:34 UTC3 reports

The short version

Turkey has moved imprisoned Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan to a newly built section of his island prison, according to ABC News.[ABC News]
Mithat Sancar, a lawmaker for the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, has confirmed the relocation but provided few further details.[ABC News]
Sancar said the peace process has been paused for two months and called for it to be accelerated.[ABC News]

Key facts

Turkey moved Abdullah Ocalan to a newly built section of his island prison, where he has been held since 1999, according to a senior Kurdish official.[ABC News]
Mithat Sancar, a DEM Party lawmaker, confirmed Ocalan's relocation in a Medya Haber TV interview on Saturday.[ABC News]
Sancar said the peace process had been paused for two months and called for it to be sped up.[ABC News]

What remains uncertain

Sancar did not confirm that the newly built section offers better accommodations, so conditions there remain unverified.[ABC News]
The move is attributed to a senior Kurdish official, and the reporting does not cite a Turkish government statement.[ABC News]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

Turkey moves Kurdish militant leader to new part of an island prison under peace pushABC News - International · Wire: associated-press
Turkey moves Kurdish militant leader Ocalan to a new part of an island prison as part of peace pushAssociated Press
Jailed PKK founder Ocalan moved to new section of Turkish island prisonAl Jazeera