Workers' Party of Kurdistan

Kurdish guerrilla organization, active in Turkey from 1974. Initially it aimed to secure an independent Kurdish state, Kurdistan, but has since modified its demands, indicating a preparedness to accept autonomy within a federal system. Responsible for many civilian deaths and bombings of private as well as government buildings, the PKK has been the subject of a prolonged and unrelenting campaign of suppression by the Turkish authorities (more than 11,000 people died in fighting between government and PKK forces 1978-94). The PKK was banned in Germany and France in 1993 after attacks on Turkish premises in those countries. The PKK turned itself into a legitimate political organization in February 2000, announcing that it renounced the armed struggle it had waged against the Turkish government for the past 15 years.

The PKK was officially established 1978 as a Marxist-Leninist party by its present leader, Abdullah Ocalan, popularly known as Apo (‘Uncle’). It emphasized freedom from colonialism and class divisions, thus opposing both Turkish government oppression and the traditional hierarchy of Kurdish society. The PKK has widespread support among Kurds, in part due to its lack of allegiance to any particular tribal faction. Ocalan was, however, put on trial in May 1999 and sentenced to death in June on charges of terrorism.

Ocalan told his fighters in August 1999 to withdraw from the country's southeast and ordered them to halt all attacks. The PKK announced that it would lay down its arms and end 15 years of violence. Ocalan appealed to the Turkish government to begin a dialogue with the PKK, saying his guerrillas were prepared to hand over their arms in exchange for Kurdish rights.