In a statement earlier today, Amnesty International responded to imprisoned PKK leader Abdulah Ocalan’s call for a cease fire in a bloody conflict that has cost as many as 40,000 lives since 1984.

John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director, in his response to the news, said:

The Turkish authorities must seize the opportunity created by PKK chief Abdulah Ocalan’s call for a truce and work for a lasting peace based on justice for victims of human rights abuses committed by both sides during  the decades of conflict.