J-Lo Performs for Turkmen President, Draws Ire of Human Rights Orgs

American popstar Jennifer Lopez, along with our very own Nancy Ajram, performed at a big birthday bash in Turkmenistan for the country's president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow. The concert was held this past Saturday at a seaside resort in the central Asian country. Consequently, Lopez has drawn the ire of many human rights advocates and organizations for performing for a known dictator.

Apparently, she was unaware of the country's widespread human rights abuses, which include rigid censorship, ethnic repression and torture, all legitimized by a powerful cult of personality around its ruler. Human Rights Watch has called the nation "one of the world's most repressive countries."

According to Perez Hilton, J-Lo's publicist just released a statement saying, "had there been knowledge of human rights issues [of] any kind, Jennifer would not have attended."

An incident of this nature has happened before, in 2010, when the star canceled a show in Cyprus. After being criticized for a perceived endorsement of the state, her reps released a statement saying she "would never knowingly support a state, country, institution or regime that was associated with any form of human rights abuse." It might be time J-Lo hired a new publicist.