Singer Gülşen, was targeted on social media for her statements about İmam Hatip High Schools (a type of vocational secondary education institute with an Islamic syllabus) students which she made while joking with her stagemate at a concert. She was arrested on duty on August 25, 2022, on charges of “publicly inciting the public to hatred and hostility” (Penal Code art. 216). Gülşen’s detention was converted to house arrest by the court on August 29, and ended on September 12, with additional judicial control measures such as an international travel ban and providing a signature at the police station once a week.
In the fourth hearing held on May 3, the court issued its judgment. Gülşen was sentenced Gülşen to a year in prison for “provoking the public to hatred, hostility or degrading” (Penal Code art. 216), and the court stated that her behavior after the act and her “respectful” attitude during the hearings were taken into account. Therefore, the sentence was reduced to 10 months; the announcement of the verdict was deferred*. The court also decided to refund the amount paid for the lifting of the travel ban and to collect the trial fee from the defendant.
*Deferment of the Announcement of the Verdict (Hükmün Açıklanmasının Geri Bırakılması (HAGB)), Article 231 of the Penal Code, is a legal measure which allows those who are sentenced to less than two years in prison to defer their sentences by five years. Should the defendant not be convicted for any other crime, the original sentence is dropped. This practice is commonly criticised for concerns that it is leading to self-censorship for dissidents or those targeted by the system.