30.04.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Terrorist Report 2008 ("Country Report on Terrorism 2007") [ID 23208]

"Most prominent among terrorist groups in Turkey is the Kongra-Gel/Kurdistan Worker’s Party (KGK/PKK). Composed primarily of Kurds with a separatist agenda, the KGK/PKK operated from bases in northern Iraq and directed its forces to target mainly Turkish security forces. In 2005 and 2006, KGK/PKK violence claimed hundreds of Turkish lives. This persisted in 2007, when the KGK/PKK continued its terrorist tactics. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), a group designated under E.O. 13224, is affiliated with the KGK/PKK and has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks on Turkish and foreign citizens in Turkish cities in recent years. KGK/PKK and TAK-linked individuals were discovered in late May in Istanbul, Adana, Konya, and Mardin with explosive materials designed to carry out suicide attacks. On May 25, the KGK/PKK claimed responsibility for the bombing of a cargo train in Bingol Province.

In the midst of weeks of violence, during which KGK/PKK attacks claimed scores of killed or wounded Turkish soldiers and citizens, the Turkish parliament on October 17 overwhelmingly passed a motion authorizing cross-border military operations against KGK/PKK targets in northern Iraq. Turkish forces carried out extensive operations along the Turkey-Iraq border in the latter part of the year. On November 5^th, President Bush committed to provide Turkey “real-time, actionable intelligence” to counter the KGK/PKK in northern Iraq."

Document(s): Chapter 2 - Country Reports: Europe and Eurasia
Chapter 6 - Terrorist Organizations

06.11.2007 - Source: European Commission

Atacks by the PKK ("Turkey 2007 Progress Report [SEC(2007) 1436]") [ID 22428]

"There has been a further deterioration of the situation in terms of attacks by the PKK and other terrorist groups. The PKK is on the EU list of terrorist organisations. Several hundred terrorist attacks have been recorded since the beginning of the year causing multiple casualties. On 22 May a suicide bombing in Ankara claimed the lives of 9 people. There was an increase of terrorist attacks targeting civilians throughout the whole country."

Document(s): Open document

04.2005 - Source: UK Home Office

Conflict with the PKK (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan - Kurdistan Workers’ Party) ("Country Report - April 2005") [#31987],  [ID 14229]

"[...]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

11.08.2003 - Source: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

Amnestiegesetz für PKK Kämpfer bechlossen; Straffreiheit, bei Niederlegung der Waffen und Rückkehr ("Das 7. EU-Anpassungspaket") [#15747],  [ID 14230]

"Neben dem 7. EU-Anpassungspaket hat das Parlament in den vergangenen Wochen und Monaten aber noch viele andere Gesetze verabschiedet, die indirekt auch mit der EU-Harmonisierung in Zusammenhang gebracht werden können und die grundlegende Neuerungen beinhalten.

So wurde unter anderem das "Rückkehr nach Hause"-Gesetz verabschiedet. Damit wird den noch auf mehrere tausend geschätzten PKK-Kämpfern in den Bergen des Nordirak, Irans und der Türkei für die nächsten sechs Monate Straffreiheit angeboten, wenn sie ihre Waffen niederlegen und sozusagen nach Hause zurückkehren. Ausgenommen von dieser Strafamnestie sind Anführer der PKK/KADEK sowie Abdullah Öcalan, der weiterhin lebenslänglich auf der Gefängnisinsel Imrali im Marmara-Meer vor den Toren Istanbuls einsitzt. Für diejenigen, gegen die in Abwesenheit Anklage erhoben worden ist, werden die Verfahren je nach Schwere des Vergehens ausgesetzt, und solche, die schon in Haft sind, können in den Genuss von erheblichen Strafminderungen oder sogar Strafamnestie kommen. Mittlerweile haben angeblich schon Hunderte von Betroffenen Interesse an dieser Amnestie bekundet."

Document(s): Open document

06.08.2003 - Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung

Türkei gliedert PKK-Kämpfer ein ("Türkei gliedert PKK-Kämpfer ein") [#15408],  [ID 14231]

"(...) Nach einer vom Parlament verabschiedeten Teil-Amnestie für die PKK haben sich laut einem Bericht des Nachrichtensenders NTV vom Dienstag bereits mehr als 450 Mitglieder der Organisation gemeldet, die von der Strafminderung profitieren wollen. Viele von ihnen sind seit Jahren in türkischen Gefängnissen und hoffen nun auf vorzeitige Entlassung.
(...) Aufnahmelager für die ehemaligen Kämpfer entstehen in den Südostprovinzen Van und Sirnak, dort in der grenznahen Stadt Silopi, ebenso wie in der Westprovinz Kirklareli an der Grenze zu Bulgarien.
(...) Die türkische Armee übt allerdings auch militärischen Druck auf die Kämpfer aus. Der Sender NTV berichtete, türkische Soldaten und amerikanische Truppen hätten am vergangenen Wochenende im Nordirak gemeinsam das Flüchtlingscamp Mahmur aufgesucht, wo angeblich 9000 Kurden türkischer Herkunft leben. Dabei sollen Hunderte von Waffen sichergestellt worden sein. Das Lager gilt als eine Basis der PKK. Wie es hieß, bereiteten sich Ankara und Washington gemeinsam darauf vor, das Lager aufzulösen. Der UN-Gesandte für den Irak, Sergio de Mello, der am Montag Ankara besuchte, zeigte sich deshalb besorgt und warnte vor einem Blutvergießen. Aber aus Washington kommen immer wieder neue Drohungen, militärisch gegen die PKK-Kader, die sich nicht ergeben wollen, vorzugehen. (...)"

06.08.2003 - Source: Frankfurter Rundschau

PKK droht mit Ende der Waffenruhe ("PKK droht mit Ende der Waffenruhe") [#15409],  [ID 14232]

"(...) Kurdische Rebellen in der Türkei drohen damit, wieder zu den Waffen zu greifen. Osman Öcalan - ein Bruder des zu lebenslanger Haft verurteilten früheren Führers der kurdischen Arbeiterpartei PKK, Abdullah Öcalan - sagte jetzt, die Organisation werde eine 1999 ausgerufene Waffenruhe beenden, wenn die türkische Regierung früheren PKK-Kämpfern keine Generalamnestie gewähre und ihrerseits einen Waffenstillstand erkläre.

(...) Die Führungskader der früheren PKK, die sich seit 2002 Demokratischer Freiheits-Kongress Kurdistans (Kadek) nennt, bleiben von der Amnestie jedoch ausgenommen. Osman Öcalan wies die Regelung in einer von der kurdischen Exil-Nachrichtenagentur Mezopotamya als unzureichend zurück. (...)"

31.07.2003 - Source: Frankfurter Rundschau

Kurden reagieren mit Skepsis ("Kurden reagieren mit Skepsis") [#15407],  [ID 14233]

"Ein "historisches Angebot" sieht Ahmet Isik, Abgeordneter der regierenden Gerechtigkeits- und Entwicklungspartei (AKP), in dem Amnestiegesetz, das am Dienstag vom türkischen Parlament verabschiedet wurde. Es sieht vor, dass kurdische Guerillakämpfer, die selbst nicht an Gewalttaten beteiligt waren, straffrei ausgehen, wenn sie sich stellen.
Rebellen, die in Terroranschläge oder Kämpfe verwickelt waren, können mit reduzierten Strafen rechnen, wenn sie mit den Sicherheitsbehörden "kooperieren", also Auskünfte über ihre Organisation geben. Damit würde sich zum Beispiel eine lebenslange Haftstrafe auf neun Jahre Gefängnis reduzieren. Ausgenommen von der Teilamnestie bleiben Kommandeure der früheren PKK, wie ihr bereits zu lebenslanger Haft verurteilter Führer Abdullah Öcalan oder dessen noch flüchtiger Bruder Osman. Auch die Gewährung von politischem Asyl wird von der türkischen Regierung ausgeschlossen. "So etwas ist unmöglich", sagte Außenminister Abdullah Gül am Mittwoch zu Medienberichten, wonach die PKK-Führer, die von der Amnestie ausgenommen sind, etwa in Skandinavien Aufnahme finden könnten.
(...) Zweifel gibt es auch an der Praktikabilität des Gesetzes: Wie soll im Einzelfall festgestellt werden, ob jemand nur Mitläufer oder selbst aktiver Kämpfer war? Kurdische Organisationen wie die PKK-Nachfolgeorganisation Kadek und die pro-kurdische Demokratische Volkspartei (Dehap) kritisieren das Gesetz. Sie fordern eine Generalamnestie und die Legalisierung der Kadek als politische Bewegung. (...)"

15.07.2003 - Source: Frankfurter Rundschau

In der Türkei geht die Furcht vor einem neuen Kurden-Krieg um ("In der Türkei geht die Furcht vor einem neuen Kurden-Krieg um") [#14787],  [ID 14234]

"(...) In Ankara sorgt man sich auch um das Schicksal der turkmenischen Volksgruppe in Nordirak. Sie soll nach den Vorstellungen Ankaras bei der politischen Neuordnung des Nachkriegs-Irak beteiligt werden. Für die USA sind die Turkmenen dagegen ein Faktor der Instabilität. In den vergangenen Monaten kam es zu Scharmützeln zwischen militanten Turkmenen-Milizen und kurdischen Peschmerga.
Die Türkei unterhält bereits seit 1992 eine ständige Militärpräsenz in Nordirak. Anfangs waren es etwa 1500 Soldaten, die in einer Pufferzone an der Grenze ein Einsickern der in Nordirak untergeschlüpften PKK-Rebellen in die Türkei verhindern sollten. Seit etwa vier Jahren hat die Türkei ihre Truppen in Nordirak erheblich verstärkt. Es dürfte sich inzwischen nach Schätzungen westlicher Dienste um fünf- bis sechstausend Soldaten handeln. Ankara rechtfertigt die Militärpräsenz mit der PKK-Bedrohung. Etwa 5000 Rebellen werden in Nordirak vermutet. Die USA haben zwar schon vor dem Irak-Krieg versprochen, sie zu entwaffnen, das aber zur Enttäuschung Ankaras bisher nicht eingelöst.
Was umgekehrt den USA immer stärker aufstößt, sind die nachrichtendienstlichen Aktivitäten türkischer Spezialsoldaten und ihre Verbindungen zu militanten Turkmenen. Bereits im April hatten die US-Militärs einen ersten Warnschuss abgegeben: Sie nahmen kurzzeitig in Nordirak eine Gruppe türkischer Spezialsoldaten fest, die bei Kirkuk mit einer angeblichen Waffenlieferung für turkmenische Milizen aufgegriffen wurden. Bei ihrer Razzia am vergangenen Freitag gingen die Amerikaner mit härteren Bandagen vor. Etwa 100 US-Kommandosoldaten stürmten in Suleimanijah den Gebäudekomplex der "Turkmenen Front Iraks" und nahmen die elf sich dort aufhaltenden türkischen Offiziere sowie etwa 20 weitere Personen fest. Einen Teil der technischen Ausrüstung zerstörten die Amerikaner, Teile nahmen sie mit. (...)"

09.07.2003 - Source: Frankfurter Rundschau

Konfrontation in Kurdistan ("Konfrontation in Kurdistan") [#14337],  [ID 14235]

21.06.2003 - Source: Schweizerische Flüchtlingshilfe

Auflösung der PKK und Gründung der KADEK Im April 2002; sporadische bewaffnete Auseinandersetzungen zwischen der Armee und Guerilla-Gruppen; neue Lager im Nordiran ("Zur aktuellen Situation - Juni 2003 ") [#14557],  [ID 14236]

"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."

Document(s): Open document

04.2003 - Source: UK Home Office

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) ("Country Assessment - April 2003") [#13461],  [ID 14237]

"6.139 In the year 2000 the PKK was almost completely inactive. There were reports of internal divisions over Öcalan's call for ending the armed struggle, but by the end of 2000 no rival faction appeared to have gained control of the group. Apparently on orders from the PKK leadership, several groups of eight to ten former militants turned themselves in to the authorities, asking for amnesty. They are all standing trial for charges relating to membership of the PKK. Although PKK attacks against civilians and law enforcement personnel in the southeast have virtually ended, the military did engage the PKK in 2000, killing several alleged terrorists. Government authorities acknowledged that the level of violent conflict was considerably lower than in the past, and that a major reason for this was an absence of PKK activity. In 2001 there were only about 45 armed clashes between the Government and the PKK. [5c][5d] The extent to which the heat has been taken out of the situation varies from province to province in the southeast, depending in part on the personality of each provincial governor. The atmosphere is least relaxed in Ţýrnak province, where some tension can still be felt. As this makes that province the odd man out, pro-Kurdish circles sometimes refer to it as "the Ţýrnak republic". [2a]

6.140 The October 2002 European Commission report on Turkey's progress towards accession to EU membership observes that the security situation has continued to improve in the southeast. After the lifting of the state of emergency in Hakkâri and Tunceli, some relaxation in daily life has been reported. The Tunceli Culture and Nature Festival took place between 1 and 4 August 2002 with no ban on bands singing in Kurdish. Previously banned journals and newspapers could be found at newsagents. However, the governor of Tunceli stated that the military would not be pulled back. With the lifting of emergency rule in the southeastern province of Hakkâri, the security forces' practices in the region have also changed. In the province military influence is still felt, but the atmosphere is reportedly much less tense. According to reports from the city, the food quota has been lifted. [76]

6.141 According to statistics from the state of emergency region governor, 23,512 PKK members, 5044 security force members, and 4472 civilians have lost their lives in the fighting since 1987. During 2001 nine civilians, 22 members of the security forces and 111 terrorists died as a result of armed clashes, according to the military. According to human rights groups, fewer than ten civilians were killed due to clashes with security forces. Human rights groups, villagers and the Government disagreed on whether some deaths were of civilians or of "terrorists", as defined by the Government. [5d] In 2002, according to the military, seven civilians, nine members of the security forces, and 25 terrorists died as a result of armed clashes. [5g]

6.142 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). Deputy Prime Minister Yilmaz stated that if former PKK members who were involved in unlawful activities in the past continued to be active within the same organisation, all the restrictive decisions and measures that applied to the PKK must also apply to the new organisation. He went on to say that the fact that the PKK had realised that violence and terrorism were not a solution was a positive development. However, those who were involved in terrorism in the past should, he said, definitely be brought to justice. Such tactical changes did not affect the policy of the Turkish State on this subject. [61a][63m]"

Document(s): Open document

31.03.2003 - Source: US Department of State

Persons convicted of belonging to an armed organization (the PKK) in 1994 still in prison ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2002") [#11861],  [ID 14238]

"Leyla Zana, Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan and Selim Sadak-–former members of parliament--remained in prison at year's end after being convicted of belonging to an armed organization (the PKK) in 1994. If they serve the required three-fourths of their sentence, as is traditional, they would be released in 2005."

Document(s): Open document

02.05.2002 - Source: BBC News

BBC: PKK added to the EU's list of groups branded as terrorists ("Kurdish guerrillas to join terror list") [#6707],  [ID 14239]

"The Kurdish separatist group, the PKK, is to be added to the European Union's list of groups branded as terrorists, diplomats said. [...]
The PKK - or Kurdistan Workers Party - has waged a 15-year war for self-rule in south-eastern Turkey, but recently announced it was changing its name and abandoning its armed struggle.
Senior members of the organisation have reacted angrily to the EU move, saying it could lead to renewed fighting.
The EU's original list was issued in December in the wake of the 11 September attacks in the United States.
More groups have been added to it to bring it into line with America's terrorist blacklist."

Document(s): Open document

16.04.2002 - Source: BBC News

Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) formally announced a change of name (Congress for Freedom and Democracy in Kurdistan - KADEK) and strategy, saying it wants to campaign peacefully for greater Kurdish rights ("Kurd rebels change their name") [#6525],  [ID 14240]

Document(s): Open document

15.04.2002 - Source: Council of the European Union

Netherlands delegation to CIREA: Background information on the PKK ("Note from the Netherlands delegation to CIREA: Official general report on Turkey, January 2002" Rf. 7838/02") [#7991],  [ID 14241]

"The longstanding conflict between the PKK and the Turkish armed forces forms a very important factor in Turkey's recent history, having a noticeable impact right up to the present. The PKK, standing for Partîya Karkerên Kurdîstan (Kurdish Workers' Party), was founded by Abdullah Öcalan in 1978 with the aim of establishing an independent, socialist Kurdish state. The PKK was the only Kurdish organisation able to remain in operation after the military coup in 1980. Its leader, Öcalan, then settled in Damascus, from where he ran the PKK up to the end of 1998 with the Syrian authorities' knowledge and approval.
The PKK's armed operations in south-eastern Turkey, starting in 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 victims were mainly jandarma officers, mayors, teachers, imams, village guards and their families, reluctant recruits, young villagers refusing to fight for the PKK and (former) PKK members acting as informers for the Turkish authorities.
The PKK attempted to make the south-east ungovernable, by systematically destroying economic and social infrastructure, etc. and by deliberately polarising the local population. Many village schools were closed down, not least as a result of the PKK's policy, up until 1996, of killing schoolteachers. No more schools are being closed at present and, according to the Turkish authorities' figures, the number of schools that are still closed has dropped from more than 2000 in 1998 to 78 in December 2001.
In order to cut off the PKK's roots and hamper supplies to PKK guerrillas in the mountains, numerous villages in south-eastern Turkey were cleared of their inhabitants and burned down by the armed forces, compelling many families from the region to resettle elsewhere in Turkey. 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.
According to information from the Turkish authorities 2, a total of just over 23 000 PKK fighters and around 5 000 members of the armed forces and security forces have been killed since 1987 in the conflict with the PKK. Just over 4 400 civilians in all are reported to have been killed. The injured number just over 11 000 for the armed forces and security forces and around 5 400 civilians.
No figures are given for injured PKK fighters. The transfer of the PKK leader, Öcalan, to Turkey from Kenya in February 1999 dealt the PKK a severe blow, however, with ensuing demonstrations, hunger strikes and some actual or attempted attacks by PKK fighters in places such as Istanbul.
On 29 June 1999 Abdullah Öcalan was sentenced to death, for high treason, by Ankara State Security Court in his trial on the island of İmralı. The Court of Appeal, which for all death sentences is automatically required to review the lower court's judgment, upheld the death sentence on Öcalan on 25 November 1999. The judgment had then still to be confirmed by parliament. Öcalan's lawyers stated that they would be appealing to the European Court of Human Rights against the judgment. The Turkish coalition partners agreed not to enforce the death sentence before the ECHR had given a ruling. The European Court held a preliminary hearing in the Öcalan case in November 2000. It found the case to be admissible and stated that it should be taken up for consideration. At the sitting on 28 September 2001 Öcalan's lawyers submitted their views in riting to the court. The Turkish authorities were given a deadline to react in writing.
Öcalan is being held in a prison on the island of İmralı in the Sea of Marmara, where he is the only inmate. On 2 March 1999 the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture visited the prison. In November 2001 the pro-Kurdish daily Yedinci Gündem published photographs of Öcalan in his cell and in the exercise yard. According to the newspaper article he is locked up in a 6 square-metre cell, allowed a one-hour daily exercise session and permitted to talk to his lawyers and family members once a week. There is still a second case pending against Öcalan, in which he stands charged, along with a hundred other defendants, of offences committed before the 1980 coup, with another death sentence sought against him. At the sitting on 30 October 2001 the case was adjourned until 24 December 2001. Here too the sitting was adjourned and no judgment has been pronounced."

Document(s): Open document

13.02.2002 - Source: Congressional Research Service

Library of Congress: PKK appears to be in transition from a guerrilla and terrorist organization to a political movement ("Terrorism: Near Eastern Groups and State Sponsors, 2002") [#9005],  [ID 14242]

"The PKK appears to be in transition from a guerrilla and terrorist organization to a political movement. It was founded in 1974 by political science student Abdullah Ocalan, who is now about 53 years old, with the goal of establishing a Marxist Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey, where there is a predominantly Kurdish population. It claims to have changed its goals somewhat to focus on greater cultural and political rights within Turkey. The PKK generally targeted government forces and civilians in eastern Turkey, but it has operated elsewhere in the country and attacked Turkish diplomatic and commercial facilities in several Western European cities in 1993 and 1995. The United States sides with Turkey in viewing the PKK as a terrorist organization, but wants to see a peaceful resolution of the conflict, and encourages Turkey to provide greater cultural and linguistic rights to the Kurds.
The PKK’s transition accelerated in October 1998 when Turkish military and diplomatic pressure forced Syria to expel PKK leader Ocalan and the PKK. Ocalan, who is about 52, sought refuge in several countries, but Turkey, acting on information reportedly provided by the United States, captured him as he was leaving Greece’s embassy in Kenya in early 1999. He was tried and, on June 29, 1999, sentenced to death for treason and the murder of about 30,000 Turks since 1984. The implementation of the sentence has been suspended pending appeals to the European Court of Human Rights. In August 1999, he called on his supporters to cease armed operations against the Turkish government, a decision affirmed at a PKK congress in January 2000. PKK violence against the Turkish government has since subsided, but not ended, and many of the PKK’s estimated 5,000 fighters remain encamped and active across the border in Iran and Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq and have conducted a few minor terrorist attacks since."

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06.02.2002 - Source: BBC News

Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, announced that it is suspending its activities and will change its name ("Kurdish militants ring the changes") [#5523],  [ID 14244]

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30.08.2001 - Source: Council of the European Union

United Kingdom delegation to CIREA: PKK has since 1984 been engaged predominately in a guerilla campaign in south east Turkey ("Note from the United Kingdom delegation to CIREA: Report on the fact-finding mission to Turkey Rf: 11498/01") [#8473],  [ID 14245]

"3.3.1 The Kurdistan Workers' Party (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan) (PKK) is a separatist movement which has sought an independent Kurdish state in southeast Turkey. It has since 1984 been engaged predominately in a guerrilla campaign in south east Turkey which has resulted in a death toll on all sides estimated to be in excess of 33,000 people. The Turkish Government denies separate Kurdish identity and rights, and the conflict between the Government and the PKK has led to serious human rights violations on both sides. In June 1999 Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the PKK, was found guilty by a Turkish court of treason, and was sentenced to death. On 2 August 1999 he called on the PKK to withdraw its troops from Turkey, and cease military operations from 1 September. The PKK presidential council confirmed that PKK combatants would indeed cease operations against Turkey, and on 8 February 2000 it formally announced that it would abandon the armed struggle in favour of a political approach. The security situation improved considerably.

3.3.2 There are still occasional clashes between the Turkish army and the remaining PKK militants. The semi-official news agency Anatolia reported on 7 July 2000 that over 480 PKK fighters had deserted the PKK, with 70 more who had tried to escape being punished by death, and some who had failed to escape committing suicide. Nonetheless, in clashes between 1 January and 30 June 2000 a total of 218 fighters, including 15 of its high ranking officials, were killed. The Istanbul daily "Sabah" quoted on 15 October 2000 a pamphlet distributed to representatives of the national media during a tour organised by the Turkish Army of several eastern provinces: "The TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) has successfully completed the struggle that it has maintained against the terror organisation PKK." During the tour the commander of the Eighth Corps stated that "the struggle against terror is about to be brought to a level that can be handled by the Jandarma and the police. The TSK will slowly and gradually assume its principal task in the east and southeast Anatolia."

3.3.3 Unfortunately representatives of the Turkish military declined repeated requests to meet with us. However during the course of the fact finding mission a report appeared in the Turkish Daily News (Wednesday 21 March 2001) which quoted a military official announcing that 16 terrorists and 3 soldiers had been killed in fighting between security forces and PKK terrorists in south east Turkey on Sunday 18 March. The military estimated that about 500 PKK militants remain in southeast Turkey with around 5,000 encamped in the mountains of northern Iraq and Iran."

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