President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his proposal to repatriate singer Ahmet Kaya's grave from France while answering reporters’ questions on his way back home from Indonesia

Kaya, a folk singer known for his songs in politically charged "protest" or "özgün" ("authentic") music genre in Türkiye, passed away in Paris in 2000 where he lived in a self-imposed exile.

A beloved figure, the singer faced protests at an awards ceremony he attended in 1999 when he announced his intention to release songs in Kurdish. A subsequent lawsuit was filed against the singer and sentencing forced him to leave Türkiye and settle in France, before his death at 43, on Nov. 16, 2000.

His grave is located in Pere Lachaise cemetery in France.

The president heaped praise on Kaya, fondly remembering how he visited him as he was going to prison to serve his sentence and sang songs. "I wanted his grave to be repatriated but his family did not want it. He is a citizen of this country. We cannot forget that night, what they’ve done to him," he said. Erdoğan reiterated his criticism of celebrities who protested Kaya during the event in 2000.

"Our offer to the family is still on the table. If they want, we can bring him back. This is his country. He has fans here," Erdoğan said.