ABDULLAH ÖCALAN

He had been responsible for the violent deaths of thousands of people, mostly innocent civilians in his attempt to establish an independent nation of “Kurdistan.” His position is that with technology and the media, violence and terrorism are no longer necessary for a dissident political independence movement to succeed. However, he was found guilty for his past violence and was jailed for life. The PKK continued its terrorism. See {620143}.

Turkey, following the French model, only allowed for one kind of citizen, and resisted the notion of different kinds of Turkish citizens. Some Turks of Kurdish extraction, however, wanted to maintain a separate identity, language, culture and sought political independence to join with the Kurds of Iraq and Iran to form their own nation. They used violence to attain their political ends. The Turkish response to this separatist threat was particularly heavy handed and the conflict escalated. The PKK lead by Ocalan killed thousands of Turks with bombings and other terrorist attacks, and the government troops also killed many trying to combat the terrorism. Finally, Ocalan was jailed, and the terrorism diminished.

He was in a Turkish Prison when he made this statement. Some of his more militant PKK followers rejected the statement assuming that it was coerced. Most agreed and were tired of a fight against an overwhelmg Turhish military and police. However the PKK militsntd, devclsred terrorists by the US and many other nations, killed 40,000 Turks including many Kurds who are and have been an ethnic minority in Turkey who have been treated very badly..

He had been responsible for the violent deaths of thousands of people, mostly innocent civilians in his attempt to establish an independent nation of “Kurdistan.” His position is that with technology and the media, violence and terrorism are no longer necessary for a dissident political independence movement to succeed. However, he was found guilty for his past violence and was jailed for life. The PKK continued its terrorism. See {620143}.

Turkey, following the French model, only allowed for one kind of citizen, and resisted the notion of different kinds of Turkish citizens. Some Turks of Kurdish extraction, however, wanted to maintain a separate identity, language, culture and sought political independence to join with the Kurds of Iraq and Iran to form their own nation. They used violence to attain their political ends. The Turkish response to this separatist threat was particularly heavy handed and the conflict escalated. The PKK lead by Ocalan killed thousands of Turks with bombings and other terrorist attacks, and the government troops also killed many trying to combat the terrorism. Finally, Ocalan was jailed, and the terrorism diminished.

He was in a Turkish Prison when he made this statement. Some of his more militant PKK followers rejected the statement assuming that it was coerced. Most agreed and were tired of a fight against an overwhelmg Turhish military and police. However the PKK militsntd, devclsred terrorists by the US and many other nations, killed 40,000 Turks including many Kurds who are and have been an ethnic minority in Turkey who have been treated very badly..