Jennifer Lopez is under fire after singing "Happy Birthday" to the leader of Turkmenistan during a show in the former Soviet bloc country.

The country currently has a major human rights issues and its leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow has been criticized for his oppressive rule by human rights organizations.

Human Rights Watch describes Turkmenistan as "among the most repressive in the world."

According to the Associated Press, the singer released a statement on Sunday via her publicist and said that "the event was hosted by the China National Petroleum Corp. and wasn't a political event."

Lopez's publicist said the event was booked by Lopez's staff, "Had there been knowledge of human rights issues any kind, Jennifer would not have attended."

According to the statement made to the Associated Press the request of a birthday serenade was made at the last-minute by the corporation before the singer took the stage, and she "graciously obliged."

According to the Washington Post, the singer used the classic Marilyn Monroe birthday song to sing to the president of the struggling country.

The Associate Press reported that following a visit to the United Nations last month, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic said the country has made some progress in the area of human rights, but insisted "a lot more work is needed to complete this process and to ensure practice is in line with international standards."

Lopez is not the first celebrity to be scrutinized for performing in countries or for leaders with human rights violations. Beyonce, Nelly Furtado, 50 Cent, Mariah Carey and Usher were all paid to perform at parties linked to the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

When the stars discovered that the leader was connected to terrorism they announced plans to donate their performance fees to charity.

Do you think celebrities should do more research before performing in other countries? Leave us a comment below.