Influencer jailed for posting ‘obscene’ photo of her riding huge penis sculpture
An influencer has been given a five-month suspended sentence for posing alongside a giant penis sculpture in Amsterdam's Sex Museum.
Merve Taskin, who boasts 571,000 Instagram followers, made the 'obscene' posts while celebrating her birthday in January last year, Mail Online reports.
The images showed the 23-year-old from Turkey straddling a huge penis, while in another she stood behind a glass door designed after a brothel in the Dutch capital's famous Red Light District.
While the images seemed like a good laugh, she was later arrested on 'obscenity charges' in the Turkish city of Canakkale and the images have since been removed from her social media feeds.
Turkish law states that people who publish 'obscene' material can receive a prison sentence of up to three years.
At court, her team had argued that the posts 'are within the limits of freedom of expression' and that the investigation showed 'how far behind the world we are.'
She posted a picture of herself with her legal team, writing: "The prosecution office gave its opinion to our detriment.
UK weather: The exact date a North African plume will send Brit temperatures soaring
"Against the opinion, we stated that, in general, my posts are within the limits of freedom of expression, that there is no precedent in the world, and that this concrete situation does not mean that our investigation authority is conducting an investigation that will set an example to the world, but that it shows how far behind the world we are in terms of freedom of expression.
"However, the court would not agree with us, so it sentenced me to 5 months in prison. Despite all this, the relatively good news is that postponement of the announcement of the provision was applied in this judgment that was set against me.
"In the current situation, if I do not deliberately commit a crime within 5 years, the provision will be annulled with all its consequences."
Anti-vax kickboxer's widow demands his death from Covid not be used to promote jabs
Responding to the news, Sex Museum director Monique van Marle said: "Our museum is intended to educate people all around the world about the history of sex.
"We admire you for expressing yourself and posting such pictures."
Turkey is a majority Muslim country and still maintains a traditional idea of how women should dress, although it is not as strict as others.
UFOs spotted 'flying in formation' during an electrical storm above Atlantic City
To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
However, Ms Taskin was initially sentenced to six months in prison but it was reduced to five months due to good conduct, and then later suspended.
Women are not required to cover up in public, but many choose to wear a headscarf or burka, while others will opt for more conservative European styles.
The UK Foreign Office website advises: "Dress modestly if you're visiting a mosque or a religious shrine to avoid offence."
Source: Read Full Article
