PKK ringleader Abdullah Ocalan: Why he’s known as ‘baby killer’ in Türkiye

Despite its major setbacks within Türkiye, the PKK terrorist group remains a significant threat and continues its presence and terror acts near the Turkish border.

Just last year, the terrorist group claimed responsibility for an attack in the heart of Ankara, where five civilian employees of the state-owned Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) were killed. Such incidents highlight the persistent danger posed by the organization.

Last October, Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a key partner in the ruling coalition, made the unexpected suggestion amid recent media speculation about renewed efforts to resolve the conflict that the terrorist mastermind Ocalan initiated 40 years ago.

His remarks came at a time of great upheaval and transformation across Türkiye, the Middle East and beyond.

Imprisoned for 25 years, the bloodstained terrorist and ideologue has once again become a focal point amid the possibility of his release in exchange for an end to his group’s decadeslong insurgency across the countries.

Read about his life and the events that led to him being known as “the baby killer” in Türkiye.

Early life of Abdullah Ocalan

Abdullah Ocalan was born into a peasant family in a village in southeastern Türkiye. Growing up with limited means, Ocalan initially showed vague political aspirations.

He attempted to join the Turkish military but was denied entry, a rejection he later attributed to his Kurdish heritage in his writings. Ocalan pursued higher education at Ankara University, where he studied political science.

It was during his university years that he embraced Marxist ideology and began voicing left-wing sentiments. Ocalan became involved in student movements and was briefly jailed for distributing leftist brochures.

His university journey was cut short when he dropped out and returned to southeastern Türkiye, where his advocacy for an independent socialist state began to take shape.

Founding the terrorist group

In 1977, Ocalan, along with his “comrades”, authored “The National Road to the Kurdish Revolution,” a manifesto that would become the foundation of PKK.

Political unrest in Türkiye forced the insurgent figurehead and his associates to flee to Syria in 1979, where they began training the guerrilla fighters who would form the core of the PKK terrorist group.

On Aug. 15, 1984, the PKK launched its first armed attack in Türkiye with an assault on a pro-government village in southeastern Türkiye, marking the start of decades of conflict.

The attack initiated a wave of violence that has, over 35 years, led to the deaths of more than 15,000 people and left thousands more wounded.

‘Baby killer’ status

One of the most harrowing incidents occurred on Oct. 21, 1993, when PKK terrorists killed 22 people, including 13 children, in the Derince village of Siirt’s Baykan district.

The image of 3-year-old Serkan, whose body was wrapped in a shroud and riddled with bullets, became a stark reminder of the brutality of terrorism. This atrocity solidified Ocalan’s image as the “baby killer” in the public.

The PKK chieftain’s leadership from 1984 to 1999 was characterized by violence, including civilian casualties, kidnappings of Western tourists, and internal purges within the PKK.

The organization targeted educators and caused significant infrastructure damage, particularly in Kurdish-majority areas.

Damascus years, birth of “Rojava model”

After fleeing Türkiye, the orchestrator of terrorism established himself in Syria, a move that would significantly influence Kurdish politics in the region. His primary goal was to secure a safe and cooperative relationship with the Hafez al-Assad regime.

Through indirect contact with Syrian intelligence, the outlawed guerilla managed to obtain logistical support from Damascus.

With the backing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), he set up his first training camp in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. These camps became hubs for military and ideological indoctrination, trapping Kurdish youth from Syria and beyond.

Ocalan also engaged with local tribes, particularly through regular meetings that began in 1981. These gatherings helped broaden his so-called movement’s support base. The establishment of the Mahsum Korkmaz Academy in Bekaa in 1982 formalized these efforts, offering brainwashing along with military tactics.

The Baath regime in Syria, under Hafez al-Assad, maintained a dual approach toward the Kurdish population. While denying citizenship and cultural rights to many Kurds, the regime also saw the PKK as a potential tool against Türkiye.

Ocalan leveraged this policy, presenting the PKK as a disciplined and ideological alternative to traditional Kurdish parties, especially among disenchanted youth and the economically marginalized.

The PKK’s activities expanded through the 1980s, with cultural centers and educational programs promoting socialism and nationalism along with separatism. Ocalan’s focus on training young terrorists and establishing economic networks in Syrian Kurdish regions further solidified the PKK’s influence.

During this era, Ocalan personally trained the future cadres of the YPG, the Syrian branch of the terrorist group. 

His initiatives in 1986 with individuals who would later lead the YPG laid the groundwork for an autonomous administration model. These programs emphasized the commune system and neighborhood councils way before Syria’s Civil War. In 1995, a series of meetings in Qamishli discussed the local governance model in detail.

Concrete decisions on implementing the “democratic” autonomy model were made, forming the basis of the governance structure of the so-called ‘Rojava cantons’.

The organizational and social structures established during Ocalan’s 20-year presence in Syria became the backbone of now Syria’s biggest separatist movement. According to field studies by the Syrian Studies Association, Ocalan’s time in Syria—shaped by his accumulated experience and rhetoric—evolved into a critical pillar for the self-proclaimed governance structure established after 2012.

In 1998, geopolitical pressures forced Ocalan to leave Syria. Following the Adana Agreement between Türkiye and Syria, the Syrian regime intensified crackdowns on PKK activities.

This marked the end of Ocalan’s two-decade presence in Syria and ushered in a new phase for the PKK.

Capture and imprisonment

In 1999, the fugitive terrorist finally was captured in Kenya and extradited to Türkiye, where he was tried and sentenced to death for treason and sedition. His trial, held on the island of Imrali, led to widespread protests among Kurdish communities in Türkiye and Europe.

During the trial, Ocalan called for a cease-fire and instructed PKK forces to withdraw from Türkiye.

In 2002, Türkiye abolished the death penalty, commuting Ocalan’s sentence to life imprisonment. The European Court of Human Rights later ruled that his trial had been unfair, but Türkiye rejected calls for a retrial.

While truthfulness constitutes a fundamental trait of Eastern culture, falsehood and demagoguery manifest as its antithesis in Western culture.

A. Ocalan, The Defense of Free Man

Continuing influence of Ocalan

Despite his imprisonment, Ocalan remained a central figure for the PKK terrorist group. The group ended its cease-fire in 2004, resuming its insurgency. Secret negotiations between Turkish officials and PKK representatives began in 2009 but collapsed in 2011.

Ocalan played a role in subsequent peace talks, and in 2013, he called for another cease-fire. However, the peace process ultimately failed, and violence resumed in 2015.

The weight of the terrorist ringleader’s influence is marked by controversy. To his followers, he remains the sole symbol of the so-called movement, while for many there are other types of leadership among the factions of the ideological line he created. 

Maybe, the recent statement of Salih Muslim, a leading member of the PYD’s so-called Presidential Council, on Ocalan’s potential upcoming statements and the developments in Syria would be enough to see his influence.

He stated, “We do not know what Mr. Ocalan will say, but we are certain that he will say something for the benefit of the (our) people. Whatever is said, the people will adhere to it. Everything we have done so far has been within the framework of his paradigm, and we have achieved results. We will continue this path.”