ABSTRACT
On February 15, 1999, the Turkish Armed Forces captured Abdullah Öcalan, the PKK’s founder and charismatic leader. Öcalan’s capture led to major pro-Kurdish protests including mass hunger strikes in 147 Kurdish associations all over the world, public demonstrations, and marches to embassies in many European cities. Seventy-four people set themselves on fire to protest assaults on Öcalan, indicating how he acquired an unprecedented role in contemporary Kurdish politics. Sixteen of them burned to death. 1
