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PoliticsTurkey

Turkish pop star Gulsen placed under house arrest

August 29, 2022

The Turkish pop star Gulsen is accused of "inciting hatred" over comments she made in April about graduates of religious public Imam Hatip schools.

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Turkish popstar Gulsen on stage, looking her best
Turkish popstar Gulsen was at the center of a political and judicial firestorm in the last week following a highly manipulated short clip from one of her shows that circulated widely on social mediaImage: ANKA

A Turkish court on Monday ordered pop star Gulsen be released from jail but placed under house arrest as she awaits trial on charges of "inciting hatred and enmity." 

The singer was arrested last week after an on-stage quip she made about students of public religious schools was magnified over social networks. 

Her arrest sparked outrage in creative and secular communities in Turkey.

What is Gulsen accused of exactly?

On Thursday, the 46-year-old singer and songwriter, whose full name is Gulsen Colakoglu, was sent to the Bakirkoy prison in Istanbul on charges of "inciting hatred."

She was detained after video circulated on social media that appeared to show her referencing the graduates of Turkey's public religious schools, known as Imam Hatip schools, as "perverts." In the clip, which was filmed in April, she joked with a band mate that his "perversion" stemmed from attending such a religious school.

Gulsen had apologized for her comments and said the remarks were a "joke."

But after the clip hit social media networks and spread with force in Turkey, the platinum blond singer was targeted by religious groups within the country as a secular symbol who flaunted her body in skimpy outfits and supported Turkey's beleaguered LGBTQ community.

Emek Emre, her attorney, said he was grateful his client would "spend the night at her own home with her child," but he would nonetheless continue to press for her full release and for all charges to be dropped.

What is the reaction to Gulsen's predicament in Turkey?

Secular groups and the opposition have called for her release and shared abundant messages of solidarity. International critics have accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of making use of the judiciary as a political tool.

Imam Hatip schools fall under the administration of Turkey's powerful Diyanet, or Islamic religious authority. Erdogan himself went to such a school.

In secular times, the Diyanet was conceived of as a means to control government religious instructors and reign in radical religious leaders, forcing them to deliver a state-approved message at the mosque each Friday.

ar/nm (AP, dpa, Reuters)