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Former Miss Turkey Merve Buyuksarac faces two years in jail for posting satirical poem on Instagram about Turkey's President Erdogan

She denies insulting President Erdogan

Agency
Wednesday 25 February 2015 05:36 EST
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Merve Büyüksaraç reportedly posted a satirical poem
Merve Büyüksaraç reportedly posted a satirical poem (Getty Images)

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A former model and Miss Turkey could face up to two years for social media posts that prosecutors have deemed to be critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A lawyer for the model Merve Buyuksarac said today that an Istanbul prosecutor is demanding she be prosecuted on charges of insulting a public official. A court will decide whether to start proceedings.

Buyuksarac was detained last month for sharing a satirical poem on her Instagram account. She denies insulting Erdogan.

She becomes the latest figure to face trial for insulting Erdogan, amid fear the country is lurching toward authoritarian rule.

In recent years, Turkey has curbed media freedoms, cracked down on critical social media postings and prosecuted hundreds of people who took part in mass anti-government protests.

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