"The parliamentary commission must immediately go to Leader Apo and listen, that's the key," Sabri Ok told journalists after the PKK said it was withdrawing all its forces from Turkey, using a nickname for Ocalan.

In recent months, the PKK has taken several historic steps, starting with a ceasefire and culminating in its formal dissolution announced on May 12.

The shift followed a historic appeal at the end of February by Ocalan, 76, who urged his followers to disarm.

"He is the one who initiated and pushed through the process, so he must be listened to as soon as possible," said Ok, reiterating the group's demand for Ocalan to be freed.

"A solution to the Kurdish issue is impossible while Leader Apo is imprisoned. He must live and work freely. His physical freedom must be ensured."

Ocalan is being held on Imrali prison island near Istanbul, where he has been serving life in solitary confinement since 1999.

Since Turkey offered him an unexpected olive branch at the end of October last year, he has been visited several times by family members and negotiators from the pro-Kurdish DEM party and last month, he got access to his lawyers for the first time since 2019.