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| DEATH SENTENCE | |
 June 29, 1999 
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LORD RUSSELL-JOHNSTON, Council of Europe: I don't believe the death penalty is effective in preventing murder or terrorism. I very much hope that the Grand Assembly of Turkey, to which this verdict must go for approval, will stand by the Council of Europe standards and not accept that the death penalty be implemented. |
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The 50-year-old Ocalan is viewed as a hero and a freedom fighter by many Kurds because he advocated autonomy for them. Others in Turkey call him a terrorist.
The guerrilla leader was seized by Turkish commandos in Nairobi, Kenya, in February, after months on the run. Ocalan's capture sparked riots in Europe and Australia. More than a dozen people were killed.
But Ocalan also threatened that thousands of his supporters would take to the streets in a rage of terror if he is hanged. He said "a lot of blood will flow in Turkey, and this could lead to a military coup."
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KWAME
HOLMAN: The death sentence for Abdullah Ocalan was announced on state-run
Turkish television today. He was convicted of treason in a month-long
trial. But the government did not broadcast the Kurdish leader's final
words to the court. Before sentencing, Ocalan said, "I do not accept
the charge of treason. I believe I've struggled for the unity of the
land and a free life." 
Ocalan
and his Kurdistan Workers Party, known as the PKK, waged a 15-year guerrilla
war against the Turkish government. More than 30,000 people died during
the fighting. Two-thirds of them were Kurds. In Turkey today, relatives
of others killed by the guerrillas celebrated Ocalan's death sentence
with cheers and dancing. 
In
Moscow, Paris, and London, and elsewhere in Europe, Kurds took to the
streets to protest today's ruling. Meanwhile, European governments and
organizations urged Turkey, which wants to join the European Union,
not to carry out the death sentence.
KWAME
HOLMAN: In Cyprus, Kurds stoned the U.S. embassy. The United States
reportedly helped Turkey capture Ocalan. Security has been beefed up
at embassies around the world belonging to Turkey's allies.
There
are about 12 million Kurds in Turkey out of an overall population of
65 million. Many Kurds live in rural Southeastern Turkey, though in
recent years many have moved to urban areas. 
The
trial took place on the remote prison island of Imrali, where Ocalan
has been held since his capture. Lawyers from both sides arrived by
boat for the trial. Bad weather on the high seas forced a delay last
week when one boat carrying Ocalan's attorneys was forced to turn back.
In the courtroom, Ocalan sat in a bullet-proof, bomb-proof enclosure.
On the first day of the trial, Ocalan admitted to some of the charges
against him, saying his troops carried out all the attacks on Turks
alleged by prosecutors, and said there were many more they hadn't mentioned.
During
the trial, Ocalan urged the Turkish government to lift remaining sanctions
on the use of the Kurdish language. In a dramatic, 40-minute statement
last Wednesday, the rebel leader called for amnesty for his troops,
and said, if allowed to live, he would work for peace. 
Ocalan's
death sentence will be appealed automatically to a higher court. If
it is upheld, the sentence must be approved both by Turkey's parliament
and its president. It has been 15 years since Turkey carried out the
death penalty.