Jennifer Lopez Turkmenistan Performance Stirs Controversy

Jennifer Lopez sparked controversy after performing a concert in Turkmenistan over the weekend.

The Central Asia country is currently under the leadership of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, a man who has one of the worst human rights records in all of Asia. Not surprisingly, many people have taken issue with the singer’s performance in the country over the weekend.

According to The Washington Post, Jennifer Lopez performed a concert hosted by the China National Petroleum Corporation. The show was put together as a birthday celebration for President Berdimuhamedow.

Since fans and critics have taken issue with Lopez’s appearance in Turkmenistan on Saturday, the singer and her handlers quickly issued a statement on the matter. Although Berdimuhamedow’s human rights record is well known, representatives said she had no idea about the country’s reputation beforehand.

The Daily Mail reports Jennifer Lopez wouldn’t have attended the concert had she known about Turkmenistan and President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow’s human rights track record beforehand. Representatives also stated the show was vetted prior to her arrival.

To make matters worse for Jennifer Lopez, she also performed “Happy Birthday” for the notorious president during the concert. According to the statement released by her representatives, the singer “graciously obliged” to perform the tune during a last-minute request.

Despite the fact that the Human Rights Watch considers Turkmenistan to be one of the most repressive countries in the world, apparently nobody bothered to do much research before the singer accepted the offer. The country has also been described by some as being very similar to North Korea.

Although social media is essentially banned in Turkmenistan, this didn’t stop Jennifer Lopez’s choreographer J.R. Taylor from issuing a tweet to fans living in the country prior to the controversial event. The post was later deleted.

“The Turkmenistan Breeze feels amazing at night Kidz! I wonder were all my Turkmenistan followers are!? Hit me up!” Taylor wrote.

Are you a fan of Jennifer Lopez? Are you surprised the singer performed in Turkmenistan without doing a little research into the country’s history beforehand?

[Top Image via Featureflash / Shutterstock.com]