Former Miss Turkey 'questioned by police' over poem criticising President Erdogan

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A former Miss Turkey winner was reportedly questioned by police after posting a satirical poem on social media mocking the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Merve Büyüksaraç, an industrial designer and model, shared a satirical poem on her Instagram account before taking the post down, Hurriyet Daily News (HDN) reports.

The alleged poem was 'The Master’s Poem,' which reportedly criticises President Erdogan and adapts the country’s national anthem in its verses.

“I shared it because I found it funny. I had no intention to insult then-President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,” she was quoted as saying.

Ms Büyüksaraç later went on social media to inform followers she had not been arrested, but had been called to answer questions over the post after complaints.

President Erdogan has in the past introduced measures to control internet freedom and faced protests across Turkey last year when he attempted to block access to Twitter and YouTube after users spread allegation of corruption ahead of elections.

In October, he defended his government’s efforts to control online speech, where he told a press freedom conference: “I am increasingly against the Internet every day.”

The country's leaders also criticised various media outlets for “polarising and distorting coverage of recent events” such as the Gezi Park anti-government rallies.