Abdullah Ocalan, the rebel leader blamed for 37,000 deaths during a 15-year struggle for Kurdish independence in southeastern Turkey, has been sentenced to death by a Turkish court. Ocalan, convicted of treason, has been bargaining for his life while on trial, promising that his Kurdistan Workers Party would work for peace if he is spared, while warning of a terrorist bloodbath if he is hanged. Turkey is on a heightened state of alert, as are a number of European countries with large Kurdish minorities. Meanwhile, Ocalan's defense lawyers say they will appeal his conviction to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.
Ocalan to Die
Abdullah Ocalan, the rebel leader blamed for 37,000 deaths during a 15-year struggle for Kurdish independence in southeastern Turkey, has been sentenced to death by a Turkish court. Ocalan, convicted of treason, has been bargaining for his life while on trial, promising that his Kurdistan Workers Party would work for peace if he is spared, while warning of a terrorist bloodbath if he is hanged. Turkey is on a heightened state of alert, as are a number of European countries with large Kurdish minorities. Meanwhile, Ocalan's defense lawyers say they will appeal his conviction to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.
