Turkey releases pop star Gulsen from house arrest

A Turkish court has lifted a decision to keep one of the country’s biggest pop stars under house arrest after she was charged last month for “inciting hatred” over a joke she made on stage about religious schools in the country.

Gulsen Bayraktar Colakoglu, a 46-year-old singer who is widely known by her first name, was briefly jailed last month on the charge, before being moved to house arrest several days later.

Despite being freed from house arrest on Monday, Gulsen will still have a travel ban in place, according to her lawyer.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been in power since becoming prime minister in 2003, studied in an Imam Hatip religious school, schools founded by the state to educate young men to be preachers. The schools have become widespread, with graduates able to enter any field.

In April, Gulsen quipped that her guitarist had a “perversion”, and that it was linked to his upbringing in an Imam Hatip school.

Her comments were captured on a mobile phone and republished by a pro-government daily last month, causing an uproar in Erdogan’s ruling conservative Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in the run-up to next year’s general election.

Gulsen’s arrest has, however, sparked outrage among the star’s legion of younger liberal fans, with critics saying that she was targeted for her support for LGBT+ rights and liberal views.

Before her arrest, Gulsen issued a statement on social media, saying that she was sorry her comments were being used to stoke further divisions in the polarised country.

The first hearing of the trial is set for October 21. If convicted, Gulsen faces up to three years in jail.

Critics say Turkey’s courts receive instructions from the government and its allies. The government says courts are independent.