Abdullah Öcalan wrote the book, titled "The Revolution of Culture and Art," at İmralı Island where he is serving his lifelong prison sentence. The government became aware of the book only when the publisher Aram Publishing House applied to the Culture Ministry for an official label a few weeks ago. Officials did not believe Öcalan had written the book, and suspected a name similarity.

When they asked for detailed information from the ministry’s office in Diyarbakır, they learned that the author is indeed the PKK leader and promptly notified Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay, Referans reported.

The Culture Ministry is obliged by law to grant the label in 10 days, but the arrested and detained persons need the Justice Ministry's permission for publishing. The Gün printing house in Istanbul, however, already printed the book, leading Günay to bring the issue forward at a cabinet meeting.

Ankara's prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the book and has decided to ban and collect all copies of it, which was written while Öcalan and his attorneys were under close surveillance.