Woman tourist faces five years in Turkish prison after filming viral dance video

A female tourist, who goes by the name of Merjem, has been warned by Turkish authorities that she could face up to five years behind bars

A female tourist could be looking at a five-year prison sentence after allegedly ‘disrespecting’ a national flag while filming a dance routine for social media.

Merjem, a gymnastics coach from Bosnia and Herzegovina who goes by the Instagram handle ‘blittem’, has been accused of belittling the Turkish national emblem. She posted a brief video of herself spinning around a flagpole at Uchisar castle in Cappadocia.

The viral footage shows her climbing the pole beneath the flag and performing her gymnastic routine against a stunning sunset backdrop, as onlookers watch.

Following a flood of negative feedback, the woman hit back at her detractors on social media, labelling them “small-minded”. She insisted that “all the Turkish people there that day” were “amazed”.

However, authorities in Turkey’s Nevşehir region have now initiated a criminal probe into the incident, according to the Daily Goat. The woman has been warned she could face up to five years in jail on two separate charges

Emre Caliskan, local deputy of the conservative AK Party Nevsehir, voiced his disapproval on social media: “This disrespect for our national and spiritual values is completely unacceptable. We will closely monitor the process to ensure the necessary legal action is taken against this individual. We will not tolerate any disrespect for our nation’s values.”

The Nevsehir Governor’s Office confirmed that a criminal complaint had been lodged, and revealed that prosecutors had launched a judicial investigation under two distinct articles of the Turkish Penal Code, reports the Mirror.

A spokesperson stated: “The Nevşehir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has initiated a judicial investigation against the foreign national under Articles 300 and 301 of the Turkish Penal Code.

“Our Governor’s Office is closely and sensitively monitoring this heinous incident, which we consider a disrespect for the national and moral values of our beloved nation”, a spokesperson added.

Under Article 300 of the Turkish Penal Code, showing contempt or disrespect towards the Turkish flag carries a potential penalty of up to three years behind bars.

Violations outlined in the statute encompass “tearing, burning it or similar action”.

Back in 2021, a tribunal in the southern province of Adana mandated the detention of a woman who ripped down a Turkish flag displayed outside a shop and hurled it into a nearby bin under Article 300 of the legislation.

Article 301, on the other hand, outlines penalties for showing contempt towards the Turkish nation and its establishments, with sentences reaching a maximum of two years’ imprisonment.

Uçhisar Castle in Cappadocia sits atop a natural rock formation and is renowned as the area’s loftiest peak.

Those who climb to the summit of the 197ft rocks are rewarded with sweeping panoramic vistas of the surrounding landscape.

Though pinpointing its exact beginnings is a challenge, the fortress served as a crucial strategic stronghold for numerous centuries, spanning from the Byzantine period right through to the Ottoman Empire.