Turkish music artist sentenced to prison for a joke is now under house arrest.

Pop star Gulsen was placed under house arrest by a Turkish court on Monday but was later released from custody after being accused of "inciting hatred and enmity" for making a joke about Turkey's religious schools. She will now await trial on those accusations.

Her arrest incited anger on social media and raised more doubts about the Turkish judiciary, whose independence has been contested by opposition groups.

Critics of the government claimed that the singer's imprisonment was an attempt by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to increase support from his conservative and religious supporters in advance of a vote the following year.