Gulsen: Jailed Turkish pop star released to house arrest after joke uproar

Turkish popstar Gulsen has been released from jail but placed under house arrest as she awaits trial for charges of “inciting hatred and enmity” in connection with a joke she made about the country’s religious schools.

The 46-year-old singer, whose full name is Gulsen Colakoglu, is often described as the Turkish Madonna. She was arrested on 25 August after a video clip of her joke on a band member during a performance in April went viral on social media.

In the video, the singer joked that one of her musicians’ “perversion” stemmed from attending a religious school.

She was charged for saying of the band member: “He attended the Imam Hatip schools. That’s where the perversion comes from.”

Though Gulsen issued an apology for her comment and told the millions who follow her on social media that she meant to cause no harm or division, religious groups attacked her.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended a religiously-oriented Imam Hatip school, as did many of his associates and pillars of the country’s powerful business elite.

While the schools were originally established to train imams, the government under Erdogan has increased the number of these schools as he has promised to raise a “pious generation”.

The topic of perversion at Imam Hatip schools is sensitive because a number of sexual abuse scandals have emerged from the network, which has been lavished with public funds under the conservative 20-year reign of the Justice and Development Party.

After her release, the singer’s lawyer Emre Emek welcomed the fact that Gulsen would “spend the night at her own home with her child” but added that he would also seek her release from house arrest.

She has been an iconic figure in Turkish pop for decades, and is known for her revealing costumes, unrestrained sexuality, extravagant live performances and colourful music videos. Her songs are well-known among Turks.

The singer has also previously faced criticism from Islamic conservatives for her support to queer rights and for unfurling a Pride flag at a concert.

Her arrest had prompted outrage among her supporters and secular Turks opposed to Erdogan.

“In no country in the world is there an arrest for such a thing,” said one user on the messaging platform Eksi Sozluk. “It only happens in a banana republic.”

Additional reporting by agencies