Prison Sentence for Former Miss Turkey for 'Insulting Erdogan'

The former 'Miss Turkey' has been sentenced to 14 months in suspended prison for insulting the country's president by reposting a message on her Instagram page. The case of Merve Büyükserç, 27, is one of hundreds of cases opened against critics of Recep Tayyip Erdogan in recent years. Ms. Büyükserç has been accused of insulting Erdogan by sharing a poem on her personal Instagram page. Her lawyer stated that the poem was not even written by this Turkish model, and she merely reposted it. The court suspended the 14-month prison sentence on the condition that Merve does not commit any offense for five years. Nevertheless, her lawyer said they would appeal and send the case to the European Court of Human Rights. Turkish courts can issue sentences of up to four years in prison for those who insult the president. International news agencies report that such sentences have been used intermittently against Erdogan's critics since he came to power. In total, 1,800 cases have been opened against cartoonists, journalists, comedians, or teenagers, all related to insulting Erdogan. The Turkish prosecutor's office has even opened a case against a German comedian accused of mocking the Turkish president on a television network in Germany. Merve Büyükserç won first place in the 'Miss Turkey' competition in 2006. The poem that the court based its ruling on was reposted on her Instagram in 2014. The humorous poem is titled 'The Master’s Poem' and refers to corruption cases involving senior officials during those years. Büyükserç had previously stated that the reason for reposting the poem was that she found it 'funny' and that she did not intend to 'insult Mr. Erdogan.'