Rebel Kurd Continues Defense

On trial for his life, Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan rejected blame Tuesday for the 1993 slaughter of dozens of unarmed soldiers, an attack that shattered a rebel cease-fire and led to a massive military crackdown on Turkey’s Kurds.

Ocalan also denied that his group had a hand in the 1986 slaying of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme and rejected accusations that he ordered attacks on Turkish tourist sites in which several foreigners were killed or injured.

Ocalan did, however, accept overall responsibility for the 15-year war waged by his Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. The conflict has killed more than 30,000 people, mostly Kurds.

“I am the person with the highest responsibility for the deeds and actions of the organization,” he told the court on the second day of his trial. He spoke through a microphone in a bulletproof, bombproof cage on the prison island of Imrali, where he is the only inmate.

Ocalan’s testimony appeared designed to distance himself from the most brutal attacks attributed to his fighters. He faces death if convicted of treason.