Öcalan

Abdullah Öcalan is a Turkish politician and revolutionary, best known as the co-founder and leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). He was born in 1949 in Ömerli, Turkey. Öcalan studied political science at Istanbul University and became involved in left-wing student activism. In 1978, he co-founded the PKK, initially advocating for an independent, socialist Kurdistan.

The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984. Öcalan played a central role in its ideological development and strategic direction. He was apprehended in Kenya in 1999 by Turkish intelligence services and subsequently extradited to Turkey. He was tried and convicted of treason and separatism, receiving a sentence of death, which was later commuted to life imprisonment.

Öcalan has been held in solitary confinement on İmralı Island since his capture. Despite his imprisonment, he has continued to exert influence over the PKK, issuing statements and contributing to its evolving political discourse. His writings and political thought, often referred to as "democratic confederalism," have influenced not only the PKK but also other Kurdish political movements in the region, notably in Syria.

His role and the PKK's actions remain a highly contentious issue. While many in Turkey view him as a terrorist responsible for significant violence and loss of life, a substantial segment of the Kurdish population regards him as a political prisoner and a symbol of their struggle for rights and self-determination. International perceptions of Öcalan and the PKK vary, with many governments designating the PKK as a terrorist organization.