Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Abdullah Öcalan
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
“Apo” Calling for Öcalan's release
Related Questions
Read Next
London Tube bombings of 2005 for use on BTN/SPT
10th Anniversary of the London Bombings
A human Inuit skull in a stone chambered cairn in Ilulissat in Greenland. These ancient graves are pre christian and are at least 2000
14 Tough Questions Answered
Battle of the Alamo from "Texas: An Epitome of Texas History from the Filibustering and Revolutionary Eras to the Independence of the Republic, 1897. Texas Revolution, Texas revolt, Texas independence, Texas history.
6 Wars of Independence
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century
Heavy equipment is used to remove debris from the front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, April 21, 1995.
20th Anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing
Discover
Close up of periodic table, focus on nickel, copper, zinc, palladium, silver, cadmium
When Was the Periodic Table Invented?
The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)
New Seven Wonders of the World
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
Young boys working in a thread spinning mill in Macon, Georgia, 1909. Boys are so small they have to climb onto the spinning frame to reach and fix broken threads and put back empty bobbins. Child labor. Industrial revolution
The Rise of the Machines: Pros and Cons of the Industrial Revolution
Bar graph of the United States Death Toll during major events. Infogram chart.
U.S. Death Toll During Major Events
World Data Locator Map: Australia
Is Australia an Island?
An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.
11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

Abdullah Öcalan: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/Abdullah-Ocalan
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Kurdish PKK militants declare a ceasefire in 40-year insurgency in Turkey • Mar. 1, 2025, 1:01 PM ET (AP)
Turkey's Kurds wary of path to peace after PKK declares ceasefire • Mar. 1, 2025, 12:47 PM ET (AP)
What to know about the latest effort to end Turkey's 40-year Kurdish conflict • Feb. 27, 2025, 7:59 PM ET (AP)
Kurdish leader Ocalan issues message from prison, urging PKK to disarm to make peace with Turkey • Feb. 27, 2025, 3:19 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As Apo
Born April 4, 1948 (age 76) • Turkey
Founder Kurdistan Workers’ Party
Political Affiliation Kurdistan Workers’ Party

Photos

“Apo”
Calling for Öcalan's release
See All Images →
Eric Rudolph
American bomber
Mustafa al-Barzani
Kurdish military leader
Shamil Basayev
terrorist
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Italian revolutionary
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
leader of al-Qaeda terrorist organization
Doku Umarov
Chechen separatist and guerrilla leader
Abimael Guzmán
Peruvian revolutionary
Michael Collins
Michael Collins
Irish statesman
Yitzhak Shamir
Yitzḥak Shamir
prime minister of Israel
Princip, Gavrilo
Gavrilo Princip
Slavic nationalist
Luis Taruc
Filipino political leader
Victoria, Guadalupe
Guadalupe Victoria
president of Mexico
Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelić
Croatian fascist leader and revolutionist
Vicente Guerrero
Mexican leader
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Chinese leader
George Ḥabash
Palestinian political leader
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Jordanian-born terrorist
João Lourenço
president of Angola
Muhammad Atef
al-Qaeda leader
Abu Daoud
Palestinian terrorist