ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) founder Abdullah Ocalan on Tuesday warned that a conspiracy entailing false statements attributed to him has been conducted to "derail" the ongoing peace process with the Turkish state, which he said is at a "critical stage."

On Monday, Turkey’s Monitoring and Evaluation Board, the body overseeing the implementation of the legal framework for the Ankara-PKK peace process, which follows from Ocalan's historic disarmament call last year, held its first meeting, chaired by Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz.

The body includes Yilmaz, Justice Minister Akin Gurlek, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, intelligenc chief Ibrahim Kalin, Presidential Secretary-General Hakki Susmaz, and National Security Council Secretary-General Okay Memis.

Ocalan, in a letter received by Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM Party), praised the earlier board meeting, saying that it is a “clear indication that the process is moving forward with firm steps,” adding that “a critical stage has been reached in the process.”

Earlier in August, the Turkish parliament voted to adopt a historic bill that outlines the legal framework for the peace process with the PKK, marking a substantial step forward in ending the decades-long conflict that claimed tens of thousands of lives.

As many sides welcomed the move, it was also criticized by others, who argued that the bill does not establish a general amnesty for former PKK fighters. Instead, it provides a legal framework for the suspension of certain investigations, prosecutions, and prison sentences under specific conditions.

“The attempts by certain circles seeking to derail the process at this historic juncture constitute a conspiracy against me. The statements, meetings, names, documents, records, and references attributed to me that have appeared in the press and on social media are untrue,” Ocalan said.

“These posts are provocative actions developed by opponents of the process,” he added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said that "dirty hands" were seeking to interfere with the peace efforts, asserting, "We know very well what kind of games you are playing."

"We know who is disturbed by this. We know who is worried. I say to them, no matter what you do, you cannot deter us from our path," Erdogan added. 

Turkey’s far-right opposition parties such as the Victory Party (Zafer Partisi) and the IYI Party, as well as the Democrat Party, have publicly opposed the newly drafted framework bill and provisions allowing the suspension of certain sentences and the postponement of some prosecutions involving former PKK members.

They have accused the government of granting concessions to the PKK leader and the group and warned that the process could lead to further demands and political or legal reforms in the future.

Earlier in August, a senior PKK commander said the peace process in Turkey cannot advance without Ocalan playing a directing role regarding the recently passed framework bill that does not commit to freeing the imprisoned leader.

Long awaited by Kurdish political forces, the adopted bill marks the largest legislative step ever taken by the Turkish state toward ending the conflict, coming after Ocalan's historic 2025 February call for the group to lay down its weapons and pursue its aims through wholly non-violent means.

The armed group, which battled Ankara for over four decades, subsequently agreed to dissolve itself, withdrawing from military positions in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and engaging in a ceremonial disarmament ceremony in Sulaimani in July 2025.