Ex-Beauty Queen Has Jailed For Insulting President

A Turkish court has convicted a former Miss Turkey of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, giving her a 14-month suspended prison sentence. Merve Buyuksarac, 27, was found guilty of insulting a public official for postings she made on social media.

She denied insulting Mr Erdogan.



Her lawyer says he will file a formal objection to the verdict and take the case to a higher court. Rights groups have criticised Turkey for backtracking on freedom of speech.

Almost 2,000 people, including celebrities and school children, have been prosecuted in Turkey for insulting the president since he came to office in 2014, under a previously little-used law.