A lawsuit was filed against him for the crime of "provoking the public to hatred and enmity" because of the remarks he made towards Imam Hatip High School students. Gülşen, who is sentenced to imprisonment from 1 to 3 years and has a judicial control condition, will appear before the judge today at the Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance.
Gülşen Çolakoğlu was alleged to have insulted Imam Hatip High School students during a concert in Ataşehir on April 30, 2022. Thereupon, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an official investigation against the singer Gülşen Çolakoğlu on the night of August 24, 2022, for the crime of "inciting the public to hatred and enmity" for her words against the Imam Hatip High School students. The singer, who was detained by the police on August 25, was arrested by the court on duty.
As a result of the objection made by her lawyers to the higher court, it was decided to release Gülşen Çolakoğlu on 29 August and to take her under judicial control on condition that she does not leave the residence.
Following the objection made by Gülşen's lawyers after the court, which accepted the indictment, decided to continue the judicial checks, the Istanbul 7th High Criminal Court imposed a requirement to abolish the house arrest and impose a ban on leaving the country and to sign at the nearest police station every Thursday.
A part of Gülşen's defense was presented to the court through her lawyer, Emek Emre, before the hearing, which will be held for the first time on Friday, October 11, at the Istanbul 21th Criminal Court of First Instance. The lawyer of the singer, Emek Emre, requested that Emre A., who published the video containing the words in question, be heard as a witness.
Who is Gulsen Colakoglu?
Gülşen Çolakoğlu (premarital surname Bayraktar; born 29 May 1976, Istanbul) is a Turkish singer and songwriter. Thanks to his hit hits in Turkey, he has become one of the most listened and best-selling names in contemporary Turkish pop music.
Born and raised in Çapa, Gülşen graduated from Şehremini Anatolian High School. Although she entered the conservatory at Istanbul Technical University after high school, she left her education midway because she also worked in bars at the same time. In 1995, he was discovered in a bar where he was performing, and received an album offer and signed a record deal with Raks Music. Although he made a name for himself by debuting with his debut album Be Adam in 1996, he put his musical career in the background for a few years as a result of focusing on his marriage. He made a bigger debut in 2004 with his fourth album Of… Of… and won both the Golden Butterfly and the Kral TV Video Music Award with the hit song of the same name. After the MU-YAP certified Yurtta Aşk Cihanda Aşk (2006) album, it continued its sales success and made me stop? (2013) became the best-selling album of the year in Turkey, followed by the second best-selling album of the year, Bangır Bangır (2015). With the songs "Love in the Homeland, Love in the World", "Bi' An Gel", "New One", "So-called Separation", "Yatcaz Kalkcaz I'm There", "Snowman", "İltimas", "Bangır Bangır" and "I Know a Chance" It remained at number one on the Turkish Official List for weeks.
Standing out as a songwriter, who received positive feedback from music critics as well as her singing, Gülşen started to sing the songs she wrote, especially after the early part of her career, and prepared many hit songs for her colleagues that were successful in the charts. in 2015 YouTubeWhile he was the most watched Turkish singer in Turkey, he became the first Turkish singer whose video clip was watched more than two hundred million the following year. She has won dozens of awards so far, including six Golden Butterfly and nine King Turkey Music Awards.
Also known for his sensitivity to social responsibility projects, the artist wrote and sang a song called 'The Brightest Star' in 2011 for UNICEF's Stars of Istanbul education project. In 2012, Gülşen went on an 5-day tour in 8 different cities in the USA with The New York Gypsy All-Stars, one of the groups that perform Roman music in the USA. During the tour, which included Boston, New York, Washington, Chicago and New Jersey, the artist attracted attention from American Turks.
Arrest
An investigation was launched against him for some of the statements he made about imam hatip high school students during the 25 April Istanbul concert on August 2022, 30. On the same day, she was arrested and sent to Bakırköy Women's Closed Prison on charges of inciting hatred and enmity or humiliating them (Article 216 of the TCK). Gülşen denied the accusations in court, said that she repeated her defenses at the police and prosecutor's office and wanted to be tried pending trial. In her statement at the prosecutor's office, the singer said that the video was served for provocative purposes, denied the accusations and demanded a decision not to prosecute. His detailed explanation is as follows:
« I am an artist for 25 years. I have musician colleagues. I perform at concerts with this group. The nickname of my friend "Mirac", who is a keyboard musician in my team, is "imam". We joke with friends as 'stupid, stupid, perverted' among ourselves. Unfortunately, these two words came together. Our friend did not study in imam hatip. I don't remember Miraç's last name and contact. All my friends in the group have nicknames.
This speech is probably a conversation between Miraç and me during the song at a stage of the concert that I don't remember. When I said to my orchestra, "Carry me on your shoulders among the audience," I received an answer from the orchestra saying, "Let the imam carry you," and the conversation in question was between me and Miraç. This speech is not a speech I gave to the concert attendees or to the media. I am an artist who loves his country, believes in equality of opportunity, and cannot separate anyone.
I do not know by whom or for what purpose this short image was served months later. However, I think it was served for provocative purposes. I have never made this speech in order to denigrate or insult the imam hatip members or a part of our country. I respect all the values and sensitivities of the country. I absolutely do not accept the accusation. It is also unfortunate that the event took place in an untimely place.
I am very upset that jokes are perceived as hateful towards any group. I do not intend to commit a crime. I do not accept the accusation. I demand a decision not to prosecute. »
On 29 August 2022, the objection to his detention was accepted and he was released on the condition of not leaving the residence. The requirement not to leave the residence was lifted on September 12, 2022.
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