Abdullah Ocalan vs Buenaventura Durruti

Abdullah Ocalan founded the PKK in 1978 as a Marxist-Leninist organization seeking Kurdish independence. The group launched an armed insurgency against Turkey in 1984, leading to a decades-long conflict that has caused tens of thousands of deaths.

Ocalan was captured in Nairobi, Kenya, on February 15, 1999, by Turkish intelligence operatives. He was brought to Turkey and put on trial. His capture was a major blow to the PKK and led to a temporary ceasefire.

In 1999, Ocalan was sentenced to death by a Turkish court for treason and separatism. However, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2002 after Turkey abolished the death penalty as part of EU reforms.

From his prison cell, Ocalan called for a ceasefire in March 2013, initiating a peace process with the Turkish government. The process collapsed in 2015, but it represented a significant attempt to end the conflict.

Durruti was killed by a gunshot during the defense of Madrid. The circumstances remain disputed: some sources claim he was killed by a Nationalist sniper, others by an accidental discharge of his own weapon. His death was a major blow to the anarchist militia.

Durruti organized the Durruti Column, a large anarchist militia force of about 6,000 volunteers. The column marched from Barcelona to the Aragon front, liberating towns and implementing collectivization in the areas it controlled.

Durruti led anarchist workers in fighting the Nationalist military uprising in Barcelona. The anarchists defeated the rebels after intense street fighting, securing Barcelona for the Republic and demonstrating the power of armed workers.