(CNN) -- American pop star Jennifer Lopez is catching all sorts of heat after her Saturday performance of "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to one of the world's most notorious dictators, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov. "It was our pleasure, and we wish you the very, very happiest birthday," Lopez says in a YouTube video of the performance. Statements like that feel gross, of course, if you know that Berdymukhamedov has been accused of imprisoning political dissidents, imposing "draconian restrictions on freedom of expression and association," says Human Rights Watch, and, according to The Atlantic, ordering his goons to kill or get rid of stray cats.
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Singer Jennifer Lopez draws criticism for her performance in Turkmenistan
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John Sutter says the "Happy Birthday" concert actually was productive
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He says Lopez inadvertently lent her celebrity to raising awareness about human rights
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Sutter: "a diva's visit with a despot can raise more than awareness"
It would be easy to argue Lopez's performance served only to legitimize @placeholder's government.