Britney Spears conservatorship to continue till 2021 with her father as her conservator

This must be disappointing news for all Britney Spears fans. Months after the #FreeBritney movement gained momentum, a Los Angeles court has made stated that conservatorship for Britney Spears will continue as it is. The court made no immediate changes to her 12-year court-appointed conservatorship.

The pop star, now 38, had asked for her care manager to permanently replace her father Jamie as her conservator. But according to Reuters, the closed-door court hearing extended the current arrangements until February 2021, according to a court document posted online by fans.

The singer's father Jamie Spears was appointed conservator in 2008 after the pop star was hospitalized for psychiatric treatment. The singer`s care manager Jodi Montgomery took over in a temporary capacity late last year when Jamie Spears suffered a bout of ill health.

A lawyer for the singer had submitted documents ahead of the private hearing saying Spears was "strongly opposed" to having her father return to control her affairs. The documents gave no reasons for her stance. An online campaign, started by her fans called #FreeBritney, had also gained momentum in the past few months and the singer's mother and brother too had opposed Jamie's role as a conservator.

Spears revived her career after her breakdown but she pulled out of a Las Vegas concert residency last year and briefly entered a mental health facility. She has not performed publicly since October 2018.

Outside the courthouse, some two dozen fans from the #FreeBritney campaign held a demonstration, shouting 'The conservatorship has got to go!'

Supporters of the campaign believe Spears is being kept prisoner and that she is sending cryptic signals begging to be freed through her social media accounts, which usually consist of selfies or her dancing at home.

Spears has not publicly commented on the campaign but her father in a recent interview has dismissed it as a joke.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Wednesday offered its support to Spears.

"If Britney Spears wants to regain her civil liberties and get out of her conservatorship, we are here to help her," the ACLU wrote in a tweet.

(With inputs from Reuters)