After 435 days, Taner was finally released from prison yesterday and reunited with his overjoyed family. I don’t think I was the only one who got teary-eyed when I saw the images of Taner, his wife, and daughters meeting for the first time in over a year.

Taner would still be behind bars if it wasn’t for the more than a million people world-wide who spoke out and demanded his freedom. So on behalf of Taner, his family and Amnesty- Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Yesterday also happened to be the first day on the job for the new Secretary General of Amnesty International, Kumi Naidoo. Kumi celebrated Taner’s release with a short video message.

I am so thrilled #TanerKilic is free at last. Taner, I look forward to the honour of meeting you, not in prison but with your family where you belong pic.twitter.com/O4NHjLNBcO

— Kumi Naidoo (@kuminaidoo) August 15, 2018

Weighing on the levity of the day was the fact that the false charges against Taner still stand. Releasing Taner is just the first step. Amnesty will continue to work to make sure the charges against him are dropped and that Taner and his family will not be unjustly separated again.