In the shadow of decades of military struggle and terrorism, seems to be Abdullah Ajlan The founder of the Kurdish Workers Party, is at the door of a new chapter in Turkey’s political history and the Kurdish people. After 25 years in prison, the one who was crowned by his supporters probably prepares for a historical step of a compromise with the Turkish state, (today) reported (today) on the Saudi al-Aravia channel.
Ajlan, born in 1949 in East Turkey, became a major figure in the Kurdish struggle as early as the 1970s. In 1978 he founded the Kurdish workers’ party, a movement that began as a national release movement and gained momentum. The party declared the purpose of achieving autonomy to the Kurdish population in Turkey, using military and political means.
In February 1999, after an international pursuit, Ajlan was caught in Nairobi, Kenya, and extradited to Turkey. First, a death sentence was sentenced to him, which after canceling the death penalty in Turkey was converted to life imprisonment. Despite his imprisonment, he continued to be a major and influential figure among the Kurdish community.
Starting since 2000, there was a significant turn on Aglan’s way. He called for the cessation of the armed struggle and offered political dialogue. Between 2012-2015 began with the Turkish President Reggie Taip Erdogan In order to achieve a political solution to the Kurdish struggle.
Today, after more than 40 years of struggle, Ajlan seems to seek the ongoing confrontation. It now supports the idea of Kurdish autonomy in the Turkish state, while giving up the full dream of independence.
Is Aglan a national hero or traitor? The answer depends on the political look. For some of the Kurds is still the symbol of the fight, for others – a leader who realized that peace is preferable to the war.