Serdar Şitilay was freed from Elazığ No. 1 High Security Closed Prison after 33 years of imprisonment.
Şitilay was detained in Amed in 1993 and arrested on the allegation of “being a member of an organization.” On 9 May 1994, he was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Diyarbakır State Security Court on the charge of “separating part of the lands under the sovereignty of the state.”
Şitilay’s release had been postponed multiple times. Most recently, on 24 September 2025, he was reviewed by the Administrative and Observation Board, which postponed his release for the sixth time for a period of six months.
After the postponement period ended, Şitilay was released and was welcomed in front of the prison by his relatives as well as representatives of political parties and civil society organizations. He then set out for his hometown, the Licê district of Amed.