Pop star Gulsen gets a 10-month suspended prison sentence for joking that Turkish religious schools are ‘perverting’ one of her musicians
- On Wednesday, the court found her guilty of the charge
- They reduced her sentence from one year to ten months
A court in Istanbul has sentenced Turkish pop singer Gulsen to 10 months’ probation for ‘incitement to hatred and enmity’ over a joke about Turkey’s religious schools, state media reported.
The singer-songwriter was briefly jailed last year for a joke she made at a concert in April when she joked that one of her musicians’ “perversion” came about as a result of attending a religious school.
The 46-year-old singer, whose full name is Gulsen Colakoglu, was jailed for five days and later spent 15 days under house arrest, despite apologizing for any offense she had committed towards religious school graduates.
On Wednesday, the court found her guilty of the charge and initially sentenced her to one year in prison, Anadolu Agency reported.
The court later reduced the sentence, citing her “respectful attitude” during the trial.
Turkish pop star Gulsen performs at a concert in Aydin, Turkey, Sunday, March 27, 2022. An Istanbul court on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 sentenced Turkish pop singer Gulsen to a 10-month suspended sentence after convicting her of “incitement to hatred” ‘. and enmity” over a joke about Turkish religious schools, the Turkish state news agency reported
The 46-year-old singer and songwriter was taken from her home in Istanbul for questioning and was formally arrested late Thursday before being taken to a prison to await trial
Gulsen faces a prison sentence if she reoffends within five years.
There was no direct comment from the singer.
Gulsen had vehemently rejected allegations that she aimed to “incite hatred” and insisted her comment was “a joke between two people.”
She had told the court in her defense that she had teased a band member who was nicknamed “Imam” but had not attended a religious school.
Lawyer Ziya Ilker Goktas reiterated on Wednesday that the comment was a joke and asked for her acquittal, insisting “there was no crime.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and many members of his Islam-based ruling party have graduated from religious schools called Imam Hatip, which were originally established to train imams.
Turkey’s penal code criminalizes incitement to hatred and enmity against various groups in society based on class, race, religion or sect, and requires imprisonment in cases that result in threats to public safety.
Gulsen was previously targeted in Islamic circles for her revealing stage outfits and unfurling an LGBTQ flag at a concert.