By Euronews
Published on
A former Miss Turkey has been given a 14-month suspended jail sentence for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
A former Miss Turkey has been given a 14-month suspended jail sentence for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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Merve Buyuksarac was found guilty after sharing a satirical poem on her Instagram account. She has denied the charge.
Former Miss Turkey gets 14-month suspended sentence for insulting Erdogan https://t.co/dKcgR1Y8af pic.twitter.com/ooCooPeUCI
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) May 31, 2016
Almost 2,000 people, including celebrities and schoolchildren, have been prosecuted in Turkey for insulting the president since he came to office in 2014, under a previously little-used law.
Human rights activists say Erdogan is using the law to silence and intimidate critics, including journalists, academics and ordinary citizens.