STORY: Several thousand people took to the streets in Germany on Saturday (November 8), to demand a prison release of the Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan, according to police. In the western German city of Cologne, demonstrators marched peacefully to support the ongoing process of reconciliation and freedom for Ocalan, who was jailed in 1999.

Turkey said on Friday (November 7) it was preparing a law to let thousands of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters and civilians return home from hideouts in northern Iraq.

Bringing PKK guerrillas and their families home from their bases in mountainous northern Iraq is seen as one of the final hurdles in a peace process launched a year ago to end generations of war that has killed 40,000 people.

In a major breakthrough, the PKK announced a decision in May to disarm and disband after a call to end its armed struggle from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: COLOGNE, GERMANY (NOVEMBER 8, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS CALLING FOR THE RELEASE OF IMPRISONED PKK LEADER ABDULLAH ÖCALAN WALKING ACROSS A BRIDGE, COLOGNE CATHEDRAL IN THE BACKGROUND

2. VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS WITH ÖCALAN PICTURES AND FLAGS CALLING FOR ÖCALAN'S RELEASE, WALKING

3. FLAG CALLING FOR ÖCALAN'S RELEASE / PROTEST

4. FLAGS CALLING FOR ÖCALAN'S RELEASE

5. VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS DANCING

6. (SOUNDBITE) (German) PARTICIPANT SEYHMUS AKBAS, SAYING:

"First of all, we are here to support Abdullah Öcalan's peace initiative. I mean, there is currently a peace process between Turkey and the Kurdish liberation movement. And the architect of this peace process is Abdullah Öcalan. And he has been committed to dialogue for decades. He focuses on dialogue, not armed struggle, and has now dissolved the PKK, or rather the Kurdish liberation movement, i.e. the military arm, the HPG (MEANING: the armed wing of the PKK, the People's Defence Forces) and all associated parties. He has called for dialogue, and we are here today to support that."

7. (SOUNDBITE) (German) PARTICIPANT BERIVAN RONAHI, SAYING:

"I am here for a peaceful demonstration to show what our concerns are, and that is the release of Abdullah Öcalan."

8. PROTEST SIGN WITH PICTURE OF ÖCALAN ‘FREEDOM FOR ÖCALAN’, COLOGNE CATHEDRAL IN THE BACKGROUND

9. VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS RUNNING AND CHANTING WITH ÖCALAN FLAGS AND PROTEST SIGNS

10. VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS WITH PROTEST BANNERS AND PICTURES OF ÖCALAN