04.2005 - Source: UK Home Office

Conflict with the PKK (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan - Kurdistan Workers’ Party) ("Country Report - April 2005") [#31987],  [ID 13669]

"[...]34.12 Europa reports that in 1984, the outlawed PKK led by Abdullah Öcalan launched a violent guerrilla campaign against the Turkish authorities in the southeastern provinces. The government responded by arresting suspected Kurdish leaders, sending in more security forces, establishing local militia groups and imposing martial law later changed to states of emergency in the troubled provinces. [1d] (p1164)
4.13 The Netherlands report of 2002 stated that “The PKKs armed operations in south eastern Turkey, starting 1984 and peaking from 1990 to 1994, involved attacks on civilian (in many cases Kurdish) and military targets, causing around 30,000 deaths. The PKK was guilty of atrocities, including murders, especially in rural parts of the south east but also in other areas….The PKK attempted to make the south east ungovernable, by systematically destroying economic and social infrastructure etc and by deliberately polarising the local population.” [2a] (p11)
4.14 The Netherlands report continued “From the outset the Turkish army took tough action against the PKK. The combat against the PKK was often also accompanied by various other kinds of human rights violations by the security forces.” [2a] (p12)
4.15 Europa reports that in October 1998 the PKK's leader, Abdullah Öcalan, was forced to leave his base in Syria. Following his expulsion he unsuccessfully attempted to claim asylum in several European countries before being captured at the Greek Embassy in Kenya and returned to Turkey. After his capture widespread Kurdish protests were held throughout Europe. [1d] (p1168)
4.16 Europa continued: “Öcalan was charged with treason on 23 February 1999, and held personally responsible for the deaths of some 30,000 people during the 15 year Kurdish struggle for autonomy.” Some foreign journalists were permitted to observe Öcalan’s trial, but Öcalan’s lawyers claimed that they had been prevented from providing a proper defence. During the proceedings Öcalan depicted himself as a moderate, called for a PKK cease-fire and declared his willingness to negotiate a peace agreement for the Kurdish region if his life was spared. On the 29 June 2003, however, he was found guilty and sentenced to death [later changed to life imprisonment]. [1d] (p1168)
4.17 According to the UNHCR Background Paper 2001 “On 2 August 1999, he [Abdullah Öcalan] called on the PKK to withdraw its troops from Turkey, and cease military operations from 1 September 1999. On 8 February 2000, it [the PKK] formally announced that it would abandon the armed struggle in favour of a political approach. The security situation improved considerably since.” [18c] (p15)
4.18 The Turkish commercial Television channel NTV reported that on 16 April 2002 the PKK announced that it had ceased activities and had regrouped as KADEK, the Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (Kurdistan Özgürlük ve Demokrasi Kongresi). [61a]
4.19 The BBC reported on 3 September 2003 that, on 1 September 2003, the PKK/KADEK had announced an end to their four-year cease-fire with the Turkish Government. They accused the Government of failing to fully address demands for Kurdish cultural rights, constitutional change and freedom of expression, despite the passing by parliament of a number laws removing restrictions on Kurds. A spokeswomen for the PKK stated that she did not expect a return to all-out conflict but instead some sort of low intensity warfare. [66e]
4.20 As recorded in Europa, in November 2003 KADEK assumed the present name of Kongra-Gel (Kurdistan’s People’s Congress). [1d] (p1194)
4.21 On the 29 May 2004 the BBC reported that Kongra-Gel declared that its five-year unilateral cease-fire would end in three days time (on the 1 June 2004) and that it would start to target Turkish security forces. However, according to the BBC it is difficult to know how seriously to take the threat of renewed military action by Kongra-Gel as deep divisions have been reported within the organisation. It is believed that a sizeable faction wants to renounce the armed struggle once and for all. [66z]
4.22 On 26 June 2004 the Turkish Daily News reported that a group of Kongra-Gel militants under the command of Osman Öcalan the brother of Abdullah Öcalan had rejected calls to end the ceasefire and had arrived in the Iraqi city of Mosul. The Turkish Daily News reported that Kongra-Gel had split into three factions, one group that supported the end of the ceasefire, and two groups who opposed a return to military conflict. [23n]
4.23 As mentioned in the Europol document ‘Terrorist Activity in the European Union: situation and trends report (TE-SAT) October 2003 - 17th October 2004)’ dated 2 December 2004: “Due to disagreements on both the supremacy within the organisation and the future political line, in May 2004, high-ranking leaders and board members, among them Osman ÖCALAN, brother of Abdullah ÖCALAN, split off the organisation and, in the beginning of August 2004, announced via the print media the foundation of a new organisation named “Patriotic Democratic Party” (Partiya Welatperez’e Demokratik, PWD). PWD’s proclaimed objective is to promote and enlarge the rights of Kurds by political means.” [20] (p44)
4.24 In an article dated 1 September 2004, The Guardian reported that “Two Turks and 11 Kurds have been killed in three days' of fighting between the army and the Kurdistan Workers party or PKK, now known as Kongra-Gel, in Hakkari province on the Turkish border with Iraq. A Turkish official said yesterday that more than 1,000 troops took part in the offensive…. More than 20 soldiers or policemen have been killed since June 1 [2004], when the rebels called off a ceasefire declared in 1999 after the capture of their leader, Abdullah Ocalan.” [...]"

Document(s): Open document

21.06.2003 - Source: Schweizerische Flüchtlingshilfe

Kadek ("Zur aktuellen Situation - Juni 2003 ") [#14557],  [ID 13670]

"Seit der Inhaftierung von Abdullah Öcalan hat die PKK immer wieder zu erkennen gegeben, dass sie Wege für eine politische Lösung suche und auf eine weitere militärische Konfronta-tion mit dem türkischen Staat verzichten wolle. Sie hat zwar seit 1999 einen grossen Teil der auf etwa 5000 GuerillakämpferInnen geschätzten Truppen abgezogen, ist jedoch nie zu einer Entwaffnung ihrer Einheiten und einer totalen Auflösung geschritten. Wir haben sogar Informationen erhalten, wonach in der Türkei neue Mitglieder für die Guerilla angeworben worden sein sollen, wenn auch in einem unvergleichlich geringeren Ausmass als früher.
Wie bereits in der Aktualisierung vom Mai 2001 erwähnt ist, sollen sich nach Informationen des ehemaligen Ministerpräsidenten Ecevit noch rund 500 Guerillamitglieder in den Bergen der kurdischen Provinzen aufhalten. So ist es auch immer wieder zu sporadischen bewaff-neten Auseinandersetzungen zwischen der Armee und Guerilla-Gruppen gekommen. Auf-grund der bekannt gewordenen Auseinandersetzungen können Idil, Lice, Tunceli und Bingöl als Orte angegeben werden, wo sich solche Gruppen aufhalten.
Laut Informationen vom Oktober 2002 auf der staatlichen Internetseite www.pkkgercegi.net (PKK-Realität) sollen etwa 500 PKK-AktivistInnen in kleinen Gruppen in die Türkei einge-schleust worden sein.
Um ihrem Willen nach einer politischen Lösung Ausdruck zu verleihen, hat die PKK im April 2002 ihre Auflösung und die Gründung der KADEK (Kurdischer Freiheits- und Demokratie-kongress) bekannt gegeben. Doch sowohl die türkischen Behörden als auch die EU gaben sehr schnell zu erkennen, dass diese Namensänderung nicht dazu führen würde, die KA-DEK nicht auf die Liste der Terrororganisationen zu nehmen.
Kürzlich hat die Türkei die NATO davor gewarnt, die PKK habe im Nordiran im Jahre 2002 neue Lager aufgebaut. Dies kann nicht gänzlich ausgeschlossen werden, weil die PKK nach ihrer Vertreibung aus Syrien im Nordirak verstärktem Druck ausgesetzt war. Dieser Druck war auf die zunehmend feindliche Haltung der kurdischen Führer Barzani und Talabani ei-nerseits und den wiederholten Einmarsch der türkischen Armee in den Nordirak anderer-seits zurückzuführen. Dadurch sah die PKK-Guerilla ihre Sicherheit und Bewegungsfreiheit stark eingeschränkt und hat sich immer mehr in den Iran abgesetzt. Dass sich die KADEK-Spitze heute im Iran aufhält, ist naheliegend. Nach Angaben der türkischen Behörden soll sie dort militärische Trainingslager unterhalten. Diese Information muss mit Vorbehalt auf-genommen werden, nicht zuletzt weil die türkischen Behörden behaupten, dass sich drei solche Lager in der Stadt Umriye befänden, diese als medizinische Versorgungsstätten ge-tarnt seien und sich die KADEK mit der Organisation El-Kaida verbrüdert habe."

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