Execution of Kurd Rebel Chief on Hold
The government of Turkey put on hold the execution of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, a move aimed at enhancing the country’s prospects for joining the European Union. The EU countries have all abolished the death penalty and are urging Turkey to do the same. Turkey’s decision came in response to a request from the European Court of Human Rights to review Ocalan’s appeal. The rebel leader was sentenced to death in June by a Turkish court for leading a separatist struggle that has killed about 37,000 people since 1984.
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