From conspiracy to negotiating table: 28 years of resistance, struggle by Leader Abdullah Ocalan

The international conspiracy against Abdullah Ocalan, which began on October 9, 1998, is entering its 28th year.

Through this conspiracy, dominant and regional powers sought to eliminate the free will of the Kurdish people and suppress the liberation movement. However, Abdullah Ocalan’s determination, philosophy, efforts and 28 years of struggle on İmralı Island overcame this process and thwarted this strategic plan. This development moved the Kurdish issue from a path of destruction to the arena of political resolution and the negotiating table.

Historical and Geopolitical Foundations: Why the Middle East and Kurdistan?

International powers and the global capitalist system established a system of domination across the world to safeguard their economic and political interests. Within this system, the borders of many regions were redrawn according to the requirements and interests of the dominant powers. The Middle East, and Kurdistan in particular, has long stood at the center of these interests because of its geographic location, energy resources and geopolitical importance. For this reason, the dominant system does not want any independent power or will to emerge in the region.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the region’s borders have been artificially drawn at negotiating tables and through international agreements, such as the Sykes-Picot Agreement. As a result of this division, states and dependent administrations were established under the influence of the dominant powers. Through this mechanism, the region’s surface and underground resources, particularly oil and energy resources, came under the system’s control. To preserve this balance and remove obstacles to it, global powers intervened in the region militarily and politically at different times.

These political and economic interventions, which continued for decades, encountered a new model and alternative form of resistance with the emergence of Abdullah Ocalan and the Freedom Movement. The movement brought a new perspective and a new position to the agenda of confronting the region’s established power balances.

Why Was the Conspiracy Planned?

The dominant powers and the system viewed the free will and consciousness advanced by Abdullah Ocalan and the Freedom Movement as an obstacle to their interests and began seeking to eliminate them. During the 1990s, the Freedom Movement developed into a major social movement across the region.

Abdullah Ocalan declared ceasefires several times—in 1993, 1995 and 1998—in an effort to resolve the Kurdish issue peacefully and placed opportunities for dialogue on the agenda. Instead of allowing a path toward a solution, however, the dominant system and the Turkish state launched a comprehensive international plan to undermine this initiative and break the will of the Kurds. Abdullah Öcalan identified this objective in advance and described it as an “international conspiracy.”

Beginning of the Conspiracy: Departure from Damascus

Pressure on Syria and military threats from the Turkish state intensified in September 1998. In October 1998, leader Ocalan traveled from Damascus to Athens to prevent the outbreak of a new regional conflict and to bring the Kurdish issue—ignored by the regime and linked to it politically, diplomatically and through dialogue—to Europe.

Although he had received invitations from some Greek writers, journalists and political circles, the head of Greek intelligence met him upon his arrival at Athens airport and said, “You cannot enter Greece. Leave immediately.” This stance exposed the clear face of the international conspiracy against the will of the Kurds. Despite the trap, leader Ocalan continued to insist on a political solution.

Difficult Journey to Europe and the Nairobi Incident

After Greece, leader Abdullah Ocalan traveled to Moscow. Although Russia’s State Duma voted overwhelmingly in favor of granting him political asylum in November 1998, the Yeltsin administration did not implement the decision due to pressure from economic interests.

He then traveled to Rome in November 1998. Although he remained in Rome, Italy, for around 65 days, European countries narrowed the search for him instead of providing a fair political and legal process.

After stops in Belarus and Greece, he was secretly transferred to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, on February 2, 1999. On February 15, 1999, in a joint international intelligence operation, leader Abdullah Ocalan was captured outside the Greek Embassy, handed over to Turkish forces and transferred to İmralı Island.

Role of the Powers in the Conspiracy

- United States: To protect its strategic and regional interests, the United States used intelligence channels, including the CIA, as well as diplomatic pressure, and played a central role in monitoring and managing the operation.

- Greece: Despite its initial invitation, Greece did not provide him with accommodation and later participated in the operation by facilitating his transfer to Kenya. Following the incident, three Greek ministers were forced to resign.

- Russia and European countries (Italy and Germany): These countries disregarded their laws and refugee protection standards in favor of political interests and closed the door to any political solution.

- Turkey and Kenya: Turkey, as the party seeking leader Ocalan’s capture, and Kenya, as the location where the operation took place, were key elements of the plan.

Resistance on İmralı and the Paradigm Shift

The main objective of the conspirators was to weaken the movement by eliminating leader Abdullah Ocalan and paving the way for a deep civil war. However, while imprisoned on İmralı Island and subjected to severe isolation, leader Abdullah Ocalan led the movement toward an intellectual and theoretical struggle:

1. Democratic Nation and Democratic Confederation: He developed a model of participatory and pluralistic governance for peoples as an alternative to the nation-state system, which he argued was a source of crises.

2. Women’s Freedom and Ecology: He expanded the movement beyond its narrower frameworks and made these principles the foundation of an alternative social system.

3. Commitment to a Political Solution: Through his writings on democratic civilization and other defenses prepared on İmralı, he established dialogue as a central approach to resolving the issue.

Toward the Negotiating Table in the 28th Year

Over these years, leader Abdullah Ocalan’s struggle overturned the calculations of those behind the conspiracy. The liberation movement in the region maintained its social and political strength. From the historic Newroz meetings in 2013 and the “Dolmabahçe Agreement” in 2015 to the final stage, the Kurdish issue remained on the negotiating table.

More recently, with the historic call of February 27, 2025, known as the “Peace and Democratic Society Process,” important steps were taken toward moving beyond the stage of democratic political engagement. A ceasefire was declared, and new practical steps emerged on this basis.

Today, as the international conspiracy enters its 28th year, the objective of the dominant powers to eliminate Kurdish will has not been achieved. The resistance leader Abdullah Ocalan has maintained since October 9, 1998, has moved the Kurdish issue from İmralı’s isolation to the highest levels of negotiations and from the threat of annihilation and execution. Today, it remains a key component of the Peace and Democratic Society Process.

Leader Abdullah Ocalan has demonstrated that the Kurdish issue cannot be resolved without the will of İmralı and without a just political solution.

a.k

ANHA