The Turkish pop singer Gülsen has been sentenced to prison for controversial statements in connection with religious institutions. A court sentenced the 46-year-old to 10 months in prison on Wednesday for insulting a community, her lawyer Emek Emre confirmed. The sentence was suspended on probation. Emre announced that he intends to appeal the verdict.
The allegations are related to statements made at a concert in April 2022. There the singer said that the “perversity” of a band colleague was due to his time at an Imam Hatip school – Gülsen argued that she was only joking. Imam Hatip Schools are state educational institutions that focus on religious education. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for example, was a student at such a school.
