Who Is the P.K.K. Leader Abdullah Ocalan?

Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (P.K.K.), has called for his fighters to disarm, potentially ending a decades-long conflict with the Turkish state that has claimed over 40,000 lives. Ocalan founded the P.K.K. in the late 1970s to fight for Kurdish independence but later shifted focus to seeking greater rights for Kurds within Turkey. Despite being labeled a terrorist by Turkey and other countries, Ocalan now promotes a new ideology of democratic confederalism, influenced by American philosopher Murray Bookchin, as a peaceful solution to Kurdish rights within Turkey.

Full Article