The decision of the Turkish Court of Appeals to uphold the death sentence on Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), has produced mixed responses in Turkey and condemnation elsewhere.
Ocalan was sentenced to death for treason after a dramatic trial on the island of Imrali, where he has been incarcerated since his capture in February. Ankara blames him for the deaths of over 30,000 people during the PKK's 15-year campaign.
Ocalan's fate now lies in the hands of Turkey's politicians. The parliament and President Suleyman Demirel must approve the verdict before he is executed.
The death penalty has been widely condemned by European states and, if carried out, will severely damage the country's chances of joining the EU. Turkey's application will be considered at the Helsinki summit in three weeks' time.
The European Commission published a report in October saying it hoped that improving relations between the EU and Turkey would not be ruined by a decision to proceed with Ocalan's execution. Many Turks are in favour of sending him to the gallows, but others assert that Turkey would pay too high a price in terms of condemnation abroad.
The rebel leader's lawyers have now vowed to take their case to the European Court of Human Rights. Proceedings could take up to two years.
Some politicians believe the court could give Ankara the safety valve it needs while it pursues its EU ambitions. The Prime Minister, Mr Bulent Ecevit, is known to be reluctant to bring the case before parliament, at least in the short term.
In July Mr Ocalan started what he termed a "campaign for peace", ordering PKK units to withdraw from Turkey and appealing to the Turkish government to enter direct talks to end the 15-year conflict. His campaign is supported by the Kurdish party, Hadep.
However, the powerful Turkish military insists there will be no negotiating with terrorists, and calls on rebels to surrender.
European governments and human rights groups urged Turkey not to carry out the death sentence. Russia, France, Greece, Austria, Finland and Sweden were among states which urged Turkey not to hang the Kurdish leader.
Russia said it hoped "that high principles of humanity will prevail in the case." A French foreign ministry spokeswoman, Ms Anne Gazeau-Secret, said: "Capital punishment has not been carried out in Turkey since 1984. That is a considerable achievement, and we hope that situation will endure."
The Swedish Foreign Minister, Ms Anna Lindh, said, "Naturally, we hope the Turkish parliament will declare the death sentence invalid."
The Netherlands stressed that Ocalan had not exhausted all possible appeals. A foreign ministry spokesman told AFP, "There are other possibilities for appeal, in particular with the European Court of Human Rights." The Strasbourg-based Court said that next week it will examine a request by Ocalan for a stay of execution.
Mr Ecevit said Ankara would assess any position taken by the European Court of Human Rights before making the decision. In Brussels the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Mr Gunter Verheugen, warned Turkey it must abolish the death penalty in order to join the European Union.
In Strasbourg, the Council of Europe criticised the decision as "unacceptable because it is contrary to the criteria of the Council of Europe." The Austrian Foreign Minister, Mr Wolfgang Schuessel, reiterated Vienna's opposition to the death penalty.