Cesim Başboğa, one of the instructors at Serhed Cultural Association in Tatvan district of Bitlis, was sentenced to 1 year and 15 days in prison for the song ‘Serhildan jiyan e (To live is to resist)’. A lawsuit was filed against Başboğa on 8 September on the allegation of ‘making propaganda for a chain of illegal organisations’ after he sang the song at the congress of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party). The indictment claimed that the Kurdish song had ‘different meanings’ and therefore constituted ‘illegal organisation propaganda’. At the first hearing held at Bitlis 2nd Heavy Penal Court on 1 November, Başboğa was sentenced to 1 year and 15 days in prison for ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’.

Başboğa stated that the reason for the sentence reveals the state's approach towards Kurdish culture and language: “We will continue to sing our songs against investigations and pressures. They cannot intimidate us and make us take a step back in this way.”