Vahyettin Sarı has been in prison for 25 years. He was arrested in Wan in 1997 and sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment. He was deported from Patnos L-Type Prison to Sincan No. 1 High Security Prison on 31 December. The transfer was decided without even informing his family, and the man has been kept in a solitary cell since the day he was taken to Sincan.

The family said that they learned about the deportation last Monday, when his prison friends informed them, but they could not find any information about where he was taken.

The family added that eventually Sarı called them on 5 January and told them he had been deported to Ankara. Sarı said that since the day he was taken from Patnos, he had not been given any hot water and had been kept in a solitary cell.