ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Turkish far-right politician and peace process advocate Devlet Bahceli on Wednesday renewed his call for the relase of imprisoned Kurdish politicians, including Selahattin Demirtas, and asserted that jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan "should regain his right to hope."

"I'm saying the same thing again. Selahattin Demirtas should return home, Ahmetler [two Ahmets, detained mayors Ahmet Turk and Ahmet Ozer] should return to their duties, and Ocalan should regain his right to hope,” Bahceli told Millet News Agency.

The "right to hope" referred to by the lawmaker is a legal framework established by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) asserting that a prisoner serving a life sentence should have the right to the prospect of conditional release based on periodic reviews.

The ECtHR has previously found Turkey to be in breach of the clause regarding the Ocalan case, indicating that the PKK leader has had no realistic prospect of release and no meaningful review mechanism exists.

Demirtas, a veteran Kurdish politician and former co-chair of Turkey's Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the predecessor of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), was arrested in November 2016 along with the party's other co-chair and several lawmakers on accusations of ties to the PKK.

In 2024, Ahmet Ozer, the Kurdish mayor of Esenyurt was arrested over alleged links to the PKK and removed from office, with the government appointing a trustee to replace him. The same year, veteran Kurdish politician Ahmet Turk was also removed as mayor of Mardin on terrorism-related charges.

Bahceli’s comments came as he became the first to sign the final draft of the Turklish legislature's long-awaited legal framework for the peace process with the PKK, coming after a prolonged peace process sparked in large part by the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader's historic 2024 call for reconciliation.

"May this signature bring good fortune and success. With this signature, our thousand-year-old brotherhood has been reaffirmed once again,” he said.

The developments come after nearly six months of limited progress regarding enacting the legal framework for the peace process that was initially signed in parliament earlier in the year, despite the Kurdish militant group having agreed to dissolve itself and evacuating multiple of its military bases over that timeframe.

Kurdish authorities have repeatedly urged the parliamentary commission tasked with drafting the legal framework to release the draft legislation approved by parliament in February, citing the need for swift action before the legislature's summer recess.

Earlier in May, Bahceli argued that Ocalan should assume the title of "Peace Process and Political Affairs Coordinator,” saying that the status of the jailed leader must be tackled and an active role given to him to oversee developments made in the process.

The comments were welcomed by Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), while drawing criticism from other figures.

"I haven't visited Selahattin Demirtas. However, I regularly communicate with him through his lawyers and inquire about his well-being,” Bahceli added, while also claiming that the two “have a good relationship.”

Demirtas has been held in the Edirne F-Type high-security prison since November 2016 on terrorism-related charges after his parliamentary immunity was lifted. However, he and his supporters deny the charges, and international courts have called for his release.