According to Kurdistan Press, an image titled "Abdullah Ocalan's Certificate of Merit from the Special Warfare Department" is being circulated on social networks; the document was allegedly issued in 1974 and indicates Öcalan's connection with the Turkish Armed Forces.The verification site "Tadee" has evaluated this image by referring to historical documents and official archives, as well as examining its signatures, military format and digital marks; an examination that reveals significant details about the origin and authenticity of the document.

What is the story of the controversial image of "Certificate of Appreciation for Öcalan from the Special Warfare Directorate"?

Recently, an image has been published on social networks and the X platform that claims to belong to a document dated June 18, 1974. According to the text of the image, the Turkish Special Warfare Directorate awarded Abdullah Öcalan a "Certificate of Merit" for his military training and services.

To examine this claim, the "Tadee" database has evaluated the historical and military information included in the document, its format, the photo and signatures in the image, the digital data of the file and official archival records.The contradiction between Kemal Yamak's military rank and the date of the document

One of the first discrepancies identified concerns the military rank of Kemal Yamak, the then head of the Special Warfare Directorate. In the published document, his rank is written as "Lieutenant General"; while Yamak had the rank of "Brigadier General" in 1974 and held this rank from 1971 to 1975. He was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1979.

What is the story of the controversial image of the "Certificate of Appreciation for Öcalan by the Special Warfare Directorate"?

Thus, the rank listed for Yamak does not correspond to the date on which the document is claimed to have been drawn up.

The study also refers to the status of Abdullah Öcalan at that time. Öcalan was arrested in 1972 for political activities and spent seven months in prison.The Tayyid website has assessed the granting of a certificate of merit by the Special Warfare Department, one of the most secretive units of the Turkish army during the Cold War, to a person with such a background as inconsistent with the historical course and military realities of that period.

The reviewers have also pointed out spelling errors and inconsistencies in the document format. The phrase “Özel Harp” (Special Warfare) is written in capital letters in various parts of the image according to the official style, but in the signature section at the bottom of the document, it is written as “Özel harp Dairesi” (Special Warfare Department) and in lowercase letters.

According to Tayyid, the existence of such a basic inconsistency in a single document is not consistent with the regulations of official correspondence and the administrative standards of the Turkish Armed Forces.What is the story behind the controversial image of the “Special Warfare Department’s Certificate of Appreciation for Öcalan”?

The signature in the image also does not match the actual signature of Kemal Yamak obtained from public sources. In addition, the document claims that Öcalan received military training and served in this field; however, the attached photo shows him in civilian clothes. This is not consistent with the common format of military documents and strengthens the possibility that the photo was added at a later stage.

What is the story behind the controversial image of the “Special Warfare Department’s Certificate of Appreciation for Öcalan”?

It was also revealed in the image that by horizontally reversing the upper part of the Special Warfare Department’s badge, the words “Kuyumcu” (goldsmith) and “1963” can be seen.According to the database, the presence of these hidden writings could indicate that an old and unrelated pattern was used to create the image.

The document also shows a mismatch between the texture of the paper and the Special Warfare Department emblem. The old paper looks worn and crumpled, while the Special Warfare Department emblem remains completely smooth, clear and without signs of wear. This difference is another sign that the emblem was added to the image in a computer environment.

What is the story of the controversial image of the “Special Warfare Department’s Certificate of Appreciation for Öcalan”?

The “Confirmation” database also examined this image using the Error Level Analysis (ELA) feature of the Foto Forensics platform. In a real document that is photographed or scanned in one step, all components of the image are recorded and compressed simultaneously and usually have a relatively equal level of error.However, in the error level analysis map of this image, the background paper texture remains dark, but the red stamp, typewritten texts, signatures and the photo are highlighted with bright red and pink lines. According to this study, the difference in the compression pattern could indicate that these parts do not belong to the original image and were added later.

What is the story of the controversial image of the "Special Warfare Directorate's Certificate of Appreciation for Öcalan"?

The EXIF ​​data of the file has also been completely removed. According to "Verification", this may be due to the publication and download of the image from Platform X and is not decisive for its authenticity alone.

In another part of this verification, military and historical records as well as the database of the Turkish Presidency of State Archives were examined.According to the announced results, there is no official record of the published document or Abdullah Öcalan's connection with the Turkish Armed Forces and the Special Warfare Directorate in these sources.

In concluding its investigation, the "Confirmation" website stated that the contradiction between Kemal Yamak's military rank and the date of the document, the inconsistencies in writing and administration, the mismatch of signatures, the use of a civilian photo, signs of digital montage and the absence of any record in official archives indicate that this image was made later and that the document attributed to the Special Warfare Directorate is a fake.