Halil Savda, who has regularly spoken out publicly against compulsory military service, had been in prison since 24 February 2012, serving a 100 day sentence for "alienating the public from military service". He was held hundreds of kilometres from his home, in the Doğubeyazıt district of the province of Ağrı in eastern Turkey.
Halil Savda has told Amnesty International that he received around 500 cards and letters while in prison, including from Amnesty International activists as well as supporters in Turkey. He said that these boosted his morale tremendously. He would like to thank all those who wrote to him.