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A Turkish pop star has reportedly been arrested for “inciting hatred” in response to a joke about the country’s religious schools.
Turkish pop star Gursen, 46, was formally arrested late Thursday after being taken from his Istanbul home for questioning. She was formally arrested after she joked at her April concert that one of her musicians had attended a Muslim school, causing her “perversion.” I was. .
“He studied at Imam Hatip (school) before,” the singer said. “That’s the source of his perversion.”
A video of the singer’s comments recently began circulating on social media, with hashtags calling for her arrest.
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Gursen has reportedly been taken to prison awaiting trial.
The arrest sparked outrage on social media. Critics of the government said the move was an effort by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to bolster his support from religious and conservative groups ahead of elections in 10 months. rice field.
Gursen apologized for the offense the joke caused, but said her comments were captured by those who wanted to deepen the polarization in the country.
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When questioned by court officials, Gursen dismissed accusations of inciting hatred and enmity and said he had “unlimited respect for the values and sensitivities of my country,” the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Garsen’s request to be released from custody pending the outcome of the trial was denied.
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But a spokesman for Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, known by the Turkish acronym AKP, appeared to defend the decision to arrest the singer, saying “inciting hatred is not an art form.” .
AKP spokesman Omer Celik said: “Trying to polarize Turkey by targeting segments of society with claims of ‘perversion’ is a hate crime and a disgrace to humanity.” Tweeted.
The Associated Press contributed to this report