Abdullah Ocalan: The Complex Legacy of a Kurdish Icon Navigating the Struggle for Rights and Reconciliation

Öcalan's academic journey took him to Ankara, where he studied political science and became increasingly involved in leftist politics. In the 1970s, he co-founded the PKK, initially as a Marxist-Leninist organization that sought to address the systemic oppression of Kurds in Turkey. The group began to gain traction, advocating for Kurdish rights and self-determination, and it soon evolved into a militant organization engaged in armed struggle against the Turkish state.