Osman Ocalan and his activity in the ranks of Kurdistan Workers' Party in 1978-2004

This article aims to evaluate the activities of Osman Ocalan, one of the commanders of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and brother of its founder and leader Abdullah Ocalan. The study is based on a variety of sources including periodicals, analytical materials and electronic resources in Russian, Turkish, Kurdish, and English. Osman Ocalan's career path in PKK is examined in the context of the history and development of the party. Despite being related by blood with the party leader, Osman Ocalan was not granted guaranteed seniority in the party leadership. At the start of his activity in the party ranks, he was involved in propagandist and organizational work, then he became the emissary to different countries, establishing international connections for the party. Only after he had achieved some positive results, he was promoted to a warlord and joined the collegial governing bodies of PKK, eventually reaching a position in the party's central committee. The author reveals the disagreement between Osman Ocalan and rival warlords within the party leadership, which was so severe that, after signing a peace treaty between PKK and major parties of Iraqi Kurdistan, Kurdistan Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Osman Ocalan fell from grace and was brought to the party trial and sentenced to death but later pardoned. The author emphasizes that this disagreement reflects a conflict of values, a clash between modernity and tradition within the PKK ranks. This conflict was revealed explicitly after the capture and imprisonment of the party leader, Abdullah Ocalan, when power struggle within party leadership started. Osman Ocalan regained his powers after disgrace, but was unable to become a new leader and caused a split in the party. His attitude, characterized by some as “feudal-nationalistic”, contradicted the ideas of his brother to eradicate patriarchy and gender inequality. The author concludes that Osman Ocalan's personality did not fit for the role of a party leader. He was a capable warlord and emissary able to take initiative, and a political realist. But his lack of dedication and commitment, his tendency to be led by affection and striving for personal well-being made him unable to challenge the leadership. His views significantly diverged from the party doctrine. Abdullah Ocalan overshadowed his brother not only as a leader, but also as a sophisticated thinker, whose ideas are still influential and relevant for Kurdish people.

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