Tourist faces 5 years in Turkish prison after filming dance video for Instagram

A female tourist is facing five years in prison after 'disrespecting' a national flag while filming a dance routine for social media.

Merjem, a gymnastics trainer from Bosnia & Herzegovina who posts under the Instagram username 'blittem', was accused of denigrating the Turkish national symbol after she posted a short video of herself twirling around a flagpole at Uchisar castle in Cappadocia. In theviralclip, she is seen scaling the pole beneath the flag and showing off her gymnastic routine in front of a radiant sunset, while fellow visitors watch on.

After recieving a deluge of negative comments, the female tourist took to social media to brand her critics "small-minded", and claimed that "all the Turkish people there that day" were "amazed".

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But authorities in the Nevşehir region of Turkey have now launched a criminal investigation into the stunt, reports the Daily Goat, with the woman warned she could now face up to five years behind bars on two separate charges.

Writing on social media, local deputy of the conservative AK Party Nevsehir, Emre Caliskan, said: "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 a criminal complaint had been filed, and said prosecutors had opened a judicial investigation under two separate articles of the Turkish Penal Code. A spokesperson said: "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.

According to Article 300 of the Turkish Penal Code, insulting or disrespecting the Turkish flag can be punished by up to three years' imprisonment. Offences stated in the legislation include "tearing, burning it or similar action".

In 2021, a court in the southern province of Adana ordered the arrest of a woman who tore down a Turkish flag hanging in front of a business and threw it in a nearby rubbish bin under Article 300 of the code.

Article 301 meanwhile details punishments for insulting the Turkish nation and its institutions, ranging up to a maximum of two years in prison.

Uçhisar Castle in Cappadocia is located on top of a natural rock formation, and is famed for being the region's highest point. Visitors who make it to the top of the 197ft rocks are treated with wide panoramic views of the surrounding area.

Thought its exact origins are difficult to date, the fortress was a significant strategic stronghold for many centuries, stretching from the Byzantine era through to the Ottoman Empire.