Jennifer Lopez sang "Happy Birthday" to the leader of former Soviet bloc country Turkmenistan-a performance her publicist said she wouldn't have given had she known the political climate in the nation.
On Saturday night, the 43-year-old singer and actress made an appearance at a Caspian Sea resort celebration, clad in a diamante showgirl outfit, flanked by backup dancers. Ministers, ambassadors and chief executives of state-owned corporations watched in awe as the "Live it Up" songstress switched from her pop hits to a birthday salutation for leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow.
According to CBS, the public has looked upon Berdimuhamedow with a critical eye, described by human rights organizations as an authoritarian ruler. Human Rights Watch even called the Turkmenistan leader as "among the most repressive in the world."
"The country is virtually closed to independent scrutiny," Human Rights Watch describes the country on its website. "media and religious freedoms are subject to draconian restrictions, and human rights defenders and other activists face the constant threat of government reprisal."
The profile also highlights Turkmenistan's oft-distributed jail time-a tool the government uses for political counterplots and to keep a firm grip on its citizen's travel.
Lopez' representative said that the event was put on by the China National Petroleum Corp., and wasn't intended to be political in nature. But if she knew of the human rights issues happening there, "Jennifer would not have attended," a statement released Sunday read.
Lopez performed for the country's leader after the corporation asked her last-minute to belt the tune right before she took the stage-to which she "graciously obliged," the statement continued.
Now, she and her team have apologized for unwittingly participating in a clash of nations.
Backlash against Lopez' showing in the country started rolling in right after the singer's crew started tweeting about her appearance there.
