Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

KURDISTAN WORKERS’ PARTY • 373Turkey if he were executed. He did admit that his decision to beginthe PKK armed struggle in 1984 had led to a civil war in which morethan 20,000 people died. When he was sentenced to death, the courtautomatically appealed the sentence to the Appeals Court in Ankara,while the European Union (EU), whose members have abolished thedeath penalty, indicated that any execution of Ocalan would presentobstacles to Turkey’s future integration into the EU. On 25 November1999 the Appeals Court upheld the death sentence, but in 2002 Turkeyabolished its death penalty and Ocalan’s sentence was commuted tolife imprisonment. Although Ocalan remains in prison, he appears tocontinue to have influence if not active leadership over the PKK.Following Ocalan’s capture, the PKK offered a unilateral cease-firein September 1999, and PKK activity largely ceased from 1999 untilMay 2004, although there were violations of the cease-fire by the PKK.In 2003 there were at least four incidents, including the attempted assassinationof the governor of Tunceli on 3 July, an attack on villagersof Bingol on 11 July, attacks on police stations, and attempted miningof roads. During 2004 there were three incidents in eastern Turkeyinvolving attacks on police and attempted mining of roads, and twobomb attacks on hotels in Istanbul on 10 August were believed to bethe work of the PKK. Following the PKK renunciation of its ceasefirein May 2004, there were at least 13 incidents of PKK terrorismin 2005, including one kidnapping of a town mayor, who was laterreleased unharmed; four armed attacks on army posts, village guards,and police or gendarmerie stations; and at least eight bombings, includinga car bombing of a gendarmerie headquarters in Van on 1 Novemberthat injured 23 people and a bombing of a bus stop in Istanbul on18 November that killed two people and injured 11 others. At least twoof these attacks were carried out by PJAK in northwestern Iran againstIranian security forces, one in Mariwan on 16 August and another inSardasht on 17 August. During 2006 there were at least two more attacks,including an armed attack on 6 May and a bombing on 23 May,both against police targets. The PKK declared another cease-fire on28 September 2006, which the Turkish government again refused toacknowledge on the grounds that doing so would in effect recognizethe PKK as a belligerent. During June 2007 the Turkish military citedinstances of PKK activity against villages in eastern Turkey, in whichthe PKK was allegedly using bases within the portions of Iraq under localKurdish autonomous governments, and threatened possible military