Cemil Bayik
Encyclopedia
Cemil Bayik also known as Cuma, is one of the five founders of the Kurdish
separatist movement Kurdistan Workers' Party
(PKK), who are still alive and is among the organisation's top leadership as he is a member of the 12-man leadership council of the Koma Civaken Kurdistan
(KCK), a Kurdish political umbrella organisation where the PKK is part of and is also part of the 3-man PKK Executive Committee, the leading body of the organisation, which consists of himself, acting PKK leader Murat Karayilan
and Fehman Huseyin, a Syria
n Kurd, who is the PKK's military commander.
In the PKK's first Party Congress in 1978, Bayik was appointed Deputy Secretary General of the organisation, making him the PKK's second man (after Abdullah Öcalan himself) and until 1995 he served as the leader of the PKK's military wing: the Arteshen Rizgariya Gelli Kurdistan (ARGK) or Peoples' Liberation Army.
In an interview with Bayik in 2007, The Independent
named him as the second most powerful person in the PKK.
After the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan
, Bayik teamed up with Murat Karayilan against the reformists in the PKK, as result reformist leaders such as Osman Öcalan
, Nizamettin Tas
(who previously backed Bayik against Osman Ocalan in a leadership struggle) and Kani Yilmaz left the organisation, Karayilan served as acting leader of the PKK with Bayik as his nr.2. Bayik's position was however weakened when Fehman Huseyin was made leader of the PKK's new military wing Hezen Parastina Gel (HPG) or Peoples' Defence Force. Since then Bayik has been a political leader in the PKK and is in charge of the organisation's relations with Iran
, Bayik himself is said to have been to Iran numerous times including to a base in Urumiyeh.
Regarded as a controversial figure, he is alleged to have executed as many as 300 PKK members since the 1980s. His capabilities as military commander have been criticised by many PKK leaders including Abdullah Öcalan himself, which doesn't hold Bayik in very high regards. Abdullah Öcalan has said Bayik prefers to stay behind the front lines and has accused him of killing 17 wounded PKK fighters in 1992, in attempt to evade capture by Turkish authorities.
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
separatist movement Kurdistan Workers' Party
Kurdistan Workers' Party
The Kurdistan Workers' Party , commonly known as PKK, also known as KGK and formerly known as KADEK or KONGRA-GEL , is a Kurdish organization which has since 1984 been fighting an armed struggle against the Turkish state for an autonomous Kurdistan and greater cultural and political rights...
(PKK), who are still alive and is among the organisation's top leadership as he is a member of the 12-man leadership council of the Koma Civaken Kurdistan
Koma Civakên Kurdistan
Koma Civakên Kurdistan is a Kurdish organization founded by Abdullah Öcalan as formerly named Koma Komalên Kurdistan to put in practice his ideology of democratic confederalism.Abdullah Öcalan is the group's honorary leader , however due to his...
(KCK), a Kurdish political umbrella organisation where the PKK is part of and is also part of the 3-man PKK Executive Committee, the leading body of the organisation, which consists of himself, acting PKK leader Murat Karayilan
Murat Karayilan
Murat Karayılan is the current acting leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party.He has been the PKK's acting leader ever since its original founder and leader, Abdullah Öcalan, was captured in 1999....
and Fehman Huseyin, a Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n Kurd, who is the PKK's military commander.
In the PKK's first Party Congress in 1978, Bayik was appointed Deputy Secretary General of the organisation, making him the PKK's second man (after Abdullah Öcalan himself) and until 1995 he served as the leader of the PKK's military wing: the Arteshen Rizgariya Gelli Kurdistan (ARGK) or Peoples' Liberation Army.
In an interview with Bayik in 2007, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
named him as the second most powerful person in the PKK.
After the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan
Abdullah Öcalan
Abdullah Öcalan , Kurdish founder of the terrorist organization called Kurdistan Workers' Party in 1978.Öcalan was captured in Nairobi and extradited to the Turkish security force, and sentenced to death under Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code, which concerns the formation of armed gangs...
, Bayik teamed up with Murat Karayilan against the reformists in the PKK, as result reformist leaders such as Osman Öcalan
Osman Ocalan
Osman Öcalan is a former Kurdish militant leader.The younger brother of Abdullah Öcalan, Osman studied at teachers’ training college before joining the PKK when it was founded in 1978 and spending two years in Libya...
, Nizamettin Tas
Nizamettin Tas
Nizamettin Tas , also known as Botan Rojhilat , was one of the oldest and military commanders of the PKK. He was born in Varto, Turkey and joined the PKK in 1986 and became the military commander of the organisation in the 1995. He headed the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan, the military wing...
(who previously backed Bayik against Osman Ocalan in a leadership struggle) and Kani Yilmaz left the organisation, Karayilan served as acting leader of the PKK with Bayik as his nr.2. Bayik's position was however weakened when Fehman Huseyin was made leader of the PKK's new military wing Hezen Parastina Gel (HPG) or Peoples' Defence Force. Since then Bayik has been a political leader in the PKK and is in charge of the organisation's relations with Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Bayik himself is said to have been to Iran numerous times including to a base in Urumiyeh.
Regarded as a controversial figure, he is alleged to have executed as many as 300 PKK members since the 1980s. His capabilities as military commander have been criticised by many PKK leaders including Abdullah Öcalan himself, which doesn't hold Bayik in very high regards. Abdullah Öcalan has said Bayik prefers to stay behind the front lines and has accused him of killing 17 wounded PKK fighters in 1992, in attempt to evade capture by Turkish authorities.
