A gymnastic trainer could face prison in Turkey after being accused of “disrespecting” the national flag during a social media video.
A woman identified only as ‘Merjem’ shared a video of herself doing acrobatics around a flagpole at Uçhisar Castle in Cappadocia on her Instagram account “blittem”.
The video was filmed against the backdrop of a sunset and shows her performing the gymnastic routine around the pole beneath the Turkish flag and in front of visitors. Captioned ‘when Bosnia meets Turkey’, it has so far been viewed more than 186,000 times on the social media platform.
Nevşehir Governor’s Office authorities confirmed they have since launched a criminal investigation and that the woman could face prosecution under two separate articles of the Turkish Penal Code.
In a statement posted on X, Nevşehir Governor’s Office 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.
“This heinous incident, which we regard as disrespectful to our nation’s national and spiritual values, is being followed with utmost care and sensitivity by our Governor’s Office.”
Under Article 300, insulting or disrespecting the Turkish flag — including “tearing, burning it or similar action” - can be punished by up to three years in prison.
Uçhisar Castle is the highest point in Cappadocia and it is thought to have served as a strategic stronghold from the Byzantine era through to the Ottoman Empire. Today, the 197ft fortress is a popular tourist destination, offering panoramic views across the region.
The video by the dancer, who is from Bosnia and Herzegovina proved to be divisive online.
“Disrespect to our flag, have some manners,” one social media comment on her post read, with another adding : “I'm so sorry, the Turkish flag is not a place where you can dance.”
“We actually respect our flag... This is not a strippers pole,” a third user posted.
The tourist dismissed the wave of negative comments online as “small-minded”, adding that “all the Turkish people there that day” were “amazed”, The Mirror reported.
And other social media users stepped in to defend her: “Those who think they are disrespecting the flag are out of their minds.”
“If it’s so sacred, why is it littered with stickers?” another Instagram profile said.
The incident comes after a woman in Adana was arrested under the same article after tearing down a flag and throwing it into a rubbish bin in 2021.
