In the 1980s the Turkish government had banned the use of Kurdish; at a concert in Sweden in December 1986, he had sung folk songs in Kurdish and was thus prosecuted for separatist propaganda, but found not guilty in 1987. The charge was dismissed after he showed regret. In 1988, he was asked by businessman Mehmet Yilmaz at a cultural festival in Usak to sing a Kurdish folk song, but refused, saying "I am a Kurd, but the laws ban me for singing in Kurdish". For this, he was indicted on September 19, 1988.
