Court upholds sentence against Turkish singer for insulting Erdoğan

CAIRO - 21 July 2019: The Turkish Court of Appeals has upheld an 11-month sentence on actress and singer Zuhal Olcay following a complaint that she had changed lyrics of songs and used hand gestures to insult President Receb Tayyip Erdogan at a concert in Istanbul in 2016.

The revised lyrics said, “Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it’s all empty, it’s all a lie. Life will end one day and you’ll say ‘I had a dream’.” Olcay said she had changed the lyrics only because the president’s name fitted the rhyme.

The court confirmed a sentence originally imposed last year, which had been suspended. The singer is expected to spend up to three days in prison, before being released on probation.

The prosecutors later asked a four-year sentence for Olcay. A court in Istanbul sentenced Olcay last year to 11 months ane 20 days in prison, but suspended it. Erdoğan’s lawyers appealed the decision, demanding the suspension be overruled.