Turkish influencer faces jail for posting ‘jokey’ pics of sex toys and penis-shaped pasta at Amsterdam’s Sex Museum
A TURKISH social media influencer is facing prosecution after she shared “joke” photos inside Amsterdam’s renowned Sex Museum.
Merve Taskin, 23, posted pics of sex toys she had purchased at the world-famous tourist attraction on a trip to the Netherlands in January last year.
But the social media star says she was arrested a few months later in her homeland and is now facing obscenity charges for the playful pictures.
In Turkey, sharing obscene content is considered a crime – and perpetrators can be punished with fines or face up to three years in jail.
Merve, who boasts nearly 600,000 Instagram followers, says she has been summoned to court, despite her intentions only being “to make jokes”.
She and two pals planned to visit the risqué landmark while on holiday to mark her 22nd birthday – but her sexy snaps have since riled Turkish authorities.
Merve shared images of some of the suggestive souvenirs on sale, such as penis-shaped pasta and a “sexy bottle opener”.
The influencer claims she was arrested twice following her return to Turkey – once during a summer holiday – before she gave a statement to a prosecutor on the second occasion.
“ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS”
But the 23-year-old then received a text message summoning her to an Istanbul court on October 26, the BBC reported, for violating Article 226 of Turkey’s penal code.
Merve says she has now deleted numerous tweets “so they wouldn’t complain again”, ahead of her court appearance.
After sharing the news of the court summons on Twitter, the case hit the headlines across the Netherlands and saw the Sex Museum brand the prosecution “absolutely ridiculous”.
The museum’s director, Monique van Marle, said they had reached out to the influencer to say they were “sorry to hear about the trouble you are in” and praised her as a “great role model to other women”.
“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,” they wrote.
The case has reignited criticism of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has enforced strict laws to control the use of social media platforms.
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Human rights groups have hit out at the government, claiming the censorship violates freedom of expression online.
Campaigners at Freedom House say that the country “remains one of most challenging places in the European region to exercise one’s right to free speech and expression”.
They added that those who speak out against the President’s harsh conservative and Islamic values face “widespread persecution”.
