US concerned about judicial harassment after Turkish pop star Gulsen’s arrest

The United States said it remained concerned about Türkiye’s censorship of free speech, and women’s groups protested in Istanbul on Saturday, after the arrest of pop star Gulsen over a past quip she made about religious schools.

The singer-songwriter was jailed on Thursday pending trial on a charge of incitement to hatred after a video of her onstage remark in April was broadcast by a pro-government media outlet.

While several state ministers condemned Gulsen’s words, her arrest drew a fierce response from critics who see Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government as bent on punishing those who oppose its conservative views.

A US State Department spokesperson said it remains concerned about widespread efforts in Türkiye to restrict expression via censorship and judicial harassment following Gulsen’s detention.

Protesters in Istanbul criticised what they called inconsistency between the judiciary’s inaction towards violence against women and the artist’s speedy investigation and arrest. Many say Gulsen was targeted for her liberal views and support for LGBT rights.

“Hundreds of women would be alive today if men who assaulted other women were captured as fast as Gulsen was,” organisers of the Istanbul protest told demonstrators through a loudspeaker.

Her arrest is the latest injustice against “women who don’t fit the mould,” or are not “the type of woman the government wants,” they said.