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Turkish Police, Kurds Clash on Eve of Ocalan Anniversary

15 February 2005

Kurdish protesters clashed with police in demonstrations across Turkey on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the capture of Kurdish rebel commander Abdullah Ocalan.

In the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, police used batons and tear gas to disperse several hundred protesters, who responded by throwing stones at police. Several police and protesters were injured, and at least 40 other people were detained.

In Istanbul, demonstrators placed a black wreath outside the Greek consulate to denounce that country's role in Ocalan's capture.

Protests were also reported in the cities of Mersin and Izmir.

Abdullah Ocalan led the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. He was captured in Nairobi, Kenya on February 16, 1999, after he was forced to leave the Greek embassy, where he had taken refuge. That June, a Turkish court sentenced him to death, but it was later commuted to life in prison.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.

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