Founded at the Third Congress of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in 1985, the National Front for the Liberation of Kurdistan (ERNK) is the public relations branch of the PKK. It issues political statements on behalf of the PKK, warns local residents before attacks, and distributes propaganda pamphlets. As an offshoot of the PKK, the ERNK also advocates the independence of Kurdish-dominated territories in Southeastern Turkey and the creation of a Marxist "Kurdistan". The group is largely funded by financial contributions from the Kurdish diaspora community, and its operating directive is restricted to legal activities.<br /><p><br /><br />The ERNK operates in exile, with a decentralized structure that is divided by geographic region. The European division, under the leadership of Abdurrahman Cadirli, issues the greatest volume of statements and is considered to be the dominant branch. Mahir Valat is the ERNK head in the former Soviet Bloc countries, and Rojhat Laser is the ERNK representative in the Balkans. In 2000, it was announced that the ERNK's name would be changed to the Democratic Peoples Unions. However, many sources still reference the ERNK by its original moniker.<br /><p><br /><br />The ENRK generally acts in support of terrorism, rather than carries out attacks itself, though ENRK statements sometimes accompany attacks. In 1988, for example, a letter signed by the ERNK was found on the body of a murdered German diplomat in Paris. Though the ERNK may have written the letter, which demanded compensation for money allegedly taken from Kurdish institutions during searches conducted in 1987, it is unlikely that core ERNK elements committed the murder, as their activities are strictly legal in nature. On occasion, the mainstream media has been known not to differentiate between the PKK and its ERNK wing, which leads to confusion when protests and terrorist actions committed by the PKK are attributed to the ERNK.<br />

Though the ERNK rarely, if ever, commits armed attacks, its actions support PKK terrorist operations. The ERNK is considered to be very active in this role.