The punishment was commuted to life in prison after Turkey abolished the death penalty under EU pressure.
But six years in isolation in a Turkish prison cell has done little to diminish Abdullah Ocalan's ability to inspire hatred in his enemies and devotion in his followers.
Although a hero to many Kurds, to many Turks Ocalan was the embodiment of evil. He was ruthless and dogmatic and his organization diverted some of its revolutionary zeal into drug trafficking, robbery and extortion.
Since his detention as the sole inmate of the prison on Imrali island, however, Ocalan has languished in his cell, reading and writing and producing the occasional pamphlet for his now weakened organization.
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