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The lawyer of the pop singer Gülşen, who was arrested on August 25 because of a joke about religious schools, and was later released to house arrest, has filed an appealed against the court verdict.
Lawyer Emek Emre filed an appeal today (August 31) with the İstanbul 27th Penal Court of first Instance, demanding the lift of the judicial control measure for the singer's release on the condition of "not leaving her residence."
What happened?• On august 25, pro-government media outlets and social media accounts began to circulate a video excerpt from an April 30 concert of Gülşen, where she joked about a colleague, saying he was "a pervert because he is an imam-hatip graduate." • The imam-hatip schools are religious schools training Muslim clerics and preachers. Many senior government officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, are imam-hatip graduates. • Senior government officials condemned Gülşen over her remarks. • Prosecutors quickly opened an investigation, with the singer being detained and brought to the courthouse. A judgeship ordered her arrest for "inciting the people into hatred and animosity." • In her testimony, she said it was an "unfortunate joke" and demanded her release. The court ruled for her arrest. • On August 29, Gülşen was released to house arrest. • Gülşen has long been targeted by pro-government circles because of her support for LGBTI+ rights and stage costumes. |
(AÖ/VK)
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