Merve Büyüksaraç

Büyüksaraç was crowned Miss Turkey in 2006 and works as a model.^[3]

Büyüksaraç allegedly posted a satirical poem on Instagram in 2014 which was then shared thousands of times on social media, and prosecutors found the poem to be insulting.^[1] The trial in the city of Istanbul began in May 2016 and was decided at the end of the month.^[4] Her sentence was suspended on condition that she does not "reoffend" within the next five years.^[1] Her lawyers are appealing the verdict.^[1] Groups that support free speech have criticized the decision.^[1] According to a report in the BBC, 2000 people have been prosecuted for insulting Erdogan since 2014, and the list of persons charged includes children as well as celebrities.^[1] Büyüksarac reposted "The Master's Poem" in 2014 not for the purpose of insulting the president, she said, but because "it was funny".^[3] In June 2016, it was reported that she was delivered with a verdict of a suspended sentence of fourteen months imprisonment.^[5]