Former Miss Turkey convicted of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
A former Miss Turkey has been convicted of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan via a social media post.
Merve Buyuksarac, 27, was handed a 14-month sentence for insulting a public official. The sentence was immediately suspended on the condition that she does not re-offend within the next five years.
Buyuksarac, who was crowned Miss Turkey in 2006, was briefly detained last year for sharing a satirical poem on her Instagram page in 2014.
Thousands of others also posted the poem, which is a satirical adaptation of the Turkish national anthem. It did not mention Mr Erdogan by name, but alluded to a corruption scandal that allegedly involved his family.
Buyuksarac's lawyer Emre Telci said after the verdict: "These insult trials are being initiated in series - they are being filed automatically.
"Merve was prosecuted for sharing a posting that did not belong to her. My client has been convicted for words that do not belong to her."
Buyuksarac denied insulting Mr Erdogan and intends to appeal her case at the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg.
Since becoming president in 2014, Mr Erdogan has filed almost 2,000 defamation cases under a previously seldom-used law that bars insulting the president.
Free speech advocates say the law is being used to aggressively intimidate and silence critics.
Last month, German chancellor Angela Merkel gave Turkey permission to pursue a case against German comedian Jan Boehmermann, who mocked Mr Erdogan on German television.
Boehmermann accused Ms Merkel of "filleting" him and serving him for tea.