Editing Kurdistan Workers' Party (section)

==== Cease fire 1999–2004 ====
The third phase (1999–2012), after the capture of Öcalan, PKK reorganized itself and new leaders were chosen by its members. The organization made radical changes to survive, such as changing its ideology and setting new goals. During the 7th Party congress in January 2000, the former military wing the Peoples Liberation Army of Kurdistan (''Artêşa Rizgariya Gelê Kurdistan'' – ARGK) was succeeded by the People's Defense Forces (''[[People's Defence Forces|Hêzên Parastina Gel]] –''  HPG) and also declared that it wanted to aim for a democratic solution for the conflict.<ref name=":2">{{cite book |last1=White |first1=Paul |title=The PKK |date=2015 |publisher=Zed Books |isbn=978-1783600373 |location=London |page=19}}</ref> At the same time, the PKK continued to recruit new members and sustain its fighting force.

According to Paul White, in April 2002, the PKK changed its name to the ''Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (KADEK)'' and proclaimed a commitment to nonviolent activities.<ref name=":2" /> A PKK/KADEK spokesman stated that its armed wing, the HPG, would not disband or surrender its weapons for reasons of self-defense. This statement by the PKK/KADEK avowing it would not lay down its arms underscores that the organization maintained its capability to carry out armed operations. PKK/KADEK established a new ruling council in April, its membership virtually identical to the PKK's Presidential Council. The PKK/KADEK did not conduct an armed attack in 2002; however, the group periodically issued veiled threats that it will resume violence if the conditions of its imprisoned leader are not improved and its forces are attacked by Turkish military, and it continued its military training like before.

In November 2003, another congress was held which lead to renaming itself as the ''People's Congress of Kurdistan'' or ''Kongra-Gel (KGK)''. The stated purpose of the organizational change was to leave behind nationalistic and state-building goals, in favor of creating a political structure to work within the existing nation-states.<ref name="PKK in the 2000s p149">{{cite book |last1=Akkaya |first1=Ahmet Hamdi |title=Nationalisms and Politics in Turkey: Political Islam, Kemalism and the Kurdish Issue |last2=Jongerden |first2=Joost |date=2010 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1136938672 |editor1-last=Casier |editor1-first=Marlies |page=149 |chapter=The PKK in the 2000s: Continuity through Breaks? |editor2-last=Jongerden |editor2-first=Joost}}</ref> Through further internal conflict during this period, it is reported that 1500 militants left the organization,<ref name="PKK in the 2000s p149" /> along with many of the leading reformists, including [[Nizamettin Taş]] and [[Abdullah Öcalan]]'s younger brother [[Osman Öcalan]].<ref name="Cemil Bayik">{{Cite web |last=Uslu |first=Emrullah |date=20 May 2008 |title=Leading PKK Commander Cemil Bayik Crosses into Iran |url=https://jamestown.org/program/leading-pkk-commander-cemil-bayik-crosses-into-iran/ |access-date=16 March 2021 |website=Jamestown |language=en-US}}</ref>