Çürükkaya lives in Germany and has published eight books, one translated into German and English.
The village was temporarily destroyed by a landslide and elsewhere, 17 km from Bingöl, under the name Yeniköy been rebuilt.
In 1974 Çürükkaya joined the PKK and in the following year, while a student at Tunceli Teachers School, travelled around southeast Turkey recruiting members.
[4] Çürükkaya fell out with Abdullah Öcalan because of his leadership style and the persecution and murder of intra-party critics.
In Germany, Günter Wallraff sat for him and visited Öcalan in Syrian exile, to effect a pardon Çürükkayas.